Pfizer stock: Blackstone funds obesity drug program

Published on 11/13/2026 at 17:11 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

Pfizer stock is in focus after Blackstone agreed to fund part of berobenatide's development. Pfizer retains control of the obesity program.

Funding reshapes Pfizer's obesity pipeline

Blackstone will cover part of berobenatide's development costs through 2028.
Pfizer retains ownership, operational control and decision-making authority for the program.
The candidate's clinical progress and future regulatory decisions remain central to the investment case.

Pfizer Inc., US7170811035, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Pfizer Inc. announced on November 11 that Blackstone Life Sciences will provide up to USD 1.5 billion through 2028 for the development of berobenatide, an investigational monthly GLP-1 receptor agonist for chronic weight management and obesity-related conditions. The details were published by Pfizer Investor Relations.

Blackstone-managed funds will finance development costs in return for potential milestone payments tied to US regulatory approval of monthly injectable berobenatide as a monotherapy and to commercial sales targets. Any earned payments would be made over several years, while the agreement gives Blackstone no ownership or development rights in the candidate.

Clinical execution remains central

Pfizer retains full operational control and decision-making authority. The company plans more than 20 trials for obesity and related conditions in 2026, including 10 ongoing or planned Phase 3 studies of berobenatide. The program includes research into chronic weight management, knee osteoarthritis and obstructive sleep apnea, as well as combinations with amylin analogs.

For investors, the arrangement shifts part of the near-term development burden to an external funding partner without transferring control of the asset. The economic outcome remains linked to clinical results, regulatory approval and eventual commercial performance.

On Friday, November 13, Pfizer stock traded at EUR 26.00 on Lang & Schwarz at 17:03 CET, 1.48 percent below the Xetra close of Thursday, November 12. The quote was 1.40 percent below EUR 26.37 in the latest relevant own report from November 12, a separate comparison from the Xetra session move.