Key
Highlights :
Pfizer is close to buying Metsera for $7.3 billion, offering $47.50 a share plus milestone payments of up to $22.50.
The acquisition would provide Pfizer with a good foothold in the rapidly expanding market for obesity drugs after its own weight-loss prospect failed trials.
Metsera's lead drug MET-097i demonstrated greater than 11% weight loss in a 12-week phase-two trial with few side effects.
Key Background :
Pfizer's pursuit of Metsera follows its strategic realignment after COVID-19 vaccine revenues slumped. Since its pandemic boom, the company's share price has shed over half its value from a 2021 high, leading the management to hunt for new drivers of growth. The $7.3 billion acquisition of Metsera would be Pfizer's biggest post-2023 takeover after the purchase of oncology expert Seagen for $43 billion.
The weight-loss space is now led by GLP-1 medications like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound, which were impressive on results but come with side effects like muscle loss and gastrointestinal discomfort. The new wave of treatments wants to increase efficacy while minimizing these downsides.
Metsera is one of the most scrutinized of the next-wave companies. Its MET-097i compound binds to the GLP-1 receptor to induce appetite suppression and weight loss. Unlike most current therapies, it has produced double-digit weight loss in a relatively short trial duration with fewer side effects. The firm also has a once-monthly injection and early-stage treatments involving amylin, a hormone thought to suppress appetite without the risk of muscle loss associated with today's drugs.
Metsera's first-half flotations this year were one of the biggest life science listings of 2025, reflecting investors' hunger for new obesity treatments. A number of big pharma groups are said to have considered bids, but Pfizer is now understood to be in pole position with a premium cash bid well above the recent market price of Metsera.
For Pfizer, the deal represents both a defensive and offensive strategy. Acquiring Metsera would allow the company to capitalize on a market projected to generate tens of billions in annual sales, while offsetting revenue declines from its fading COVID portfolio. If finalized, the takeover would signal Pfizer’s determination to remain a major player in one of the fastest-growing areas of global pharmaceuticals.
About the Author
Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith is a Managing Editor at World Care Magazine.