Pfizer Builds Global GLP-1 Strategy With up to $495M Sciwind Deal

 

Ecnoglutide, which Pfizer licensed from Sciwind Biosciences, is already approved in China for type 2 diabetes mellitus, and a marketing application for weight loss has been accepted by regulatory authorities in the country.

Even after shelling out $10 billion late last year to acquire Metsera, Pfizer appears to still be hungry for obesity deals. Tuesday, the pharma secured an exclusive Chinese commercialization license for Sciwind Biosciences’ China-approved GLP-1 injection.

The agreement could give the Hangzhou-based biotech a $495 million windfall, covering Pfizer’s upfront payment plus regulatory and sales milestones. The drug, an injectable formulation of the GLP-1 receptor agonist ecnoglutide, was greenlit by China’s National Medical Products Administration to help control blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

While ecnoglutide is indicated for diabetes, the drug can also be used for “long-term weight management needs,” Sciwind said in a Tuesday news release. Data in a Chinese population showed 15.1% placebo-adjusted weight reduction, with nearly 93% of treated patients achieving “clinically meaningful weight loss.”

China’s regulatory body has accepted ecnoglutide’s marketing authorization application for chronic weight management, according to the biotech.

For Pfizer, the Sciwind partnership is “another solid step to advance Pfizer’s global strategy in the metabolic field and reflects our ambition to become a leader in the generation of chronic weight management therapies,” Alexandre de Germay, the pharma’s chief international commercial officer, said in a statement. Indeed, by entering the Chinese market, Pfizer will go toe-to-toe with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly: Wegovy and Zepbound are both available in China.

Tuesday’s agreement also helps Pfizer build out its obesity pipeline. The pharma had previously tried and failed to advance its own in-house assets. Danuglipron, a GLP-1 analog, was hounded by safety concerns, ultimately prompting the company to pull the plug on its development in April last year.

A few months later, however, Pfizer made a major play when it offered to acquire Metsera for $4.9 billion. The offer, made in September 2025, came at a time when the biotech was widely considered a rising star in the field. Novo in late October sought to steal Metsera from Pfizer with an $8.5 billion bid, triggering a fierce and messy tug-of-war that at one point involved lawsuits and FTC scrutiny.

Pfizer ultimately came out on top—but not before it upped its offer to around $10 billion. For its trouble, the pharma received Phase 3 data earlier this month for PF’3944, a long-acting GLP-1 injectable, that analysts at BMO Capital Markets said “look competitive” with obesity drugs currently on the market. The results, which showed a 12.3% placebo-adjusted weight reduction at 28 weeks, have emboldened the pharma to push into late-stage development.

After its Metsera victory, Pfizer in December 2025 also linked up with China’s YaoPharma, paying $150 million upfront to collaborate on a GLP-1 drug currently in early development. Considering development, regulatory and commercial milestones, the deal could hit up to $1.9 billion in value.

https://www.biospace.com/deals/pfizer-builds-global-glp-1-strategy-with-up-to-495m-sciwind-deal