Pfizer Bets Big on Obesity Market with $4.9B Metsera Acquisition
Deal could exceed $7 billion, signaling a strategic push into the lucrative weight-loss drug sector after internal setbacks.
Pfizer has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Metsera, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, for an initial $4.9 billion, a strategic maneuver aimed at capturing a significant share of the booming anti-obesity drug market. The deal includes contingent value rights that could elevate the total price to over $7 billion, underscoring Pfizer's commitment to reinforcing its drug pipeline after facing challenges with its own weight-loss treatment development.
The acquisition provides Pfizer with access to Metsera's promising portfolio of next-generation therapies for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases. This includes a lead candidate, MET-097i, an ultra-long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist with the potential for once-monthly dosing, a significant convenience advantage over the current market's weekly injections. , positioning it as a potential major competitor.
This move is widely seen as a direct response to the setbacks Pfizer faced with its internally developed GLP-1 drug, danuglipron, which was discontinued due to tolerability issues. By acquiring Metsera, Pfizer is effectively buying a second chance to compete in a market projected to be worth over $100 billion annually within the next decade. and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Analysts have reacted positively to the news, viewing the acquisition as a necessary and strategic step for the pharmaceutical giant. The structure of the deal, which includes milestone-based payments, mitigates some of the financial risk for Pfizer while offering significant upside for Metsera shareholders. The transaction will be funded through a combination of existing cash and new debt, .
The acquisition is poised to significantly strengthen Pfizer's cardiometabolic pipeline and provides a crucial growth driver as the company faces patent expirations for several of its blockbuster drugs in the coming years. With Metsera's innovative candidates, Pfizer is positioning itself to challenge current market leaders and become a formidable player in the high-stakes obesity treatment landscape.