Pfizer to buy obesity drug developer Metsera for up to $7.3 billion
Pfizer rose in premarket trading after it announced that it would acquire anti-obesity drug developer Metsera, which puts the pharmaceutical giant back in the weight-loss medication game after its own pill didn’t advance to the final stages of trials.
The transaction is a valued at $47.50 per share (roughly $4.9 billion by enterprise value), which could rise to $70 per share (or $7.3 billion) if certain clinical and regulatory milestones are met. Metsera closed at $33.32 on Friday and shot up nearly 60% in premarket trading.
The deal, which was paid for with a combination of cash and debt, is expected to close by the end of the year.
Metsera is developing a weight-loss shot (called MET-233i) that has shown promise but is still in early trials, meaning it will likely be years before it reaches patients. Notably, the shot is able to be taken monthly rather than weekly like the GLP-1 shots currently on the market made by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.