ARTICLE | Product Development
GDF15 emerges as cachexia’s lead target, with Pfizer and CatalYm in Phase II/III
The cytokine sits at the intersection of tumor immune evasion and muscle wasting, offering drug developers a rare chance to address both at once
June 12, 2026 4:38 PM UTC
For the first time, cancer-associated cachexia — a wasting syndrome that drives a substantial share of cancer deaths and has no approved treatments — is the target of registrational clinical trials, with most activity centered on a single protein: GDF15.
In the last six months, Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and Catalym GmbH have moved the two most advanced GDF15 antibodies, ponsegromab and visugromab, into Phase II/III studies in advanced cancers. They lead a field of at least 10 clinical programs — five targeting the GDF15 signaling axis — with some pushing into earlier-line patients to head off cachexia before it sets in...