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Pfizer Closes Metsera Deal After Bidding War, Securing Obesity-Drug Pipeline

Regulatory pushback to Novo Nordisk’s bid cleared the path for a cash‑plus‑CVR deal transferring Metsera’s GLP‑1 pipeline to Pfizer.

Overview

  • Pfizer completed the acquisition for $65.60 per share in cash plus up to $20.65 per share in contingent value rights, valuing the deal at as much as about $10 billion, and Metsera is now a wholly owned subsidiary with its Nasdaq listing ending.
  • Metsera said the FTC warned its board about antitrust risks in Novo Nordisk’s two‑step offer, after which Novo withdrew from the contest.
  • The deal adds MET‑097i, a weekly or monthly injectable GLP‑1 nearing Phase 3, MET‑233i, a monthly amylin analog in early studies, and an oral GLP‑1 candidate.
  • Pfizer said the transaction will be dilutive through 2030 as it funds development, and CEO Albert Bourla has indicated potential first launches in 2028 if trials succeed.
  • Shareholders approved Pfizer’s sweetened proposal, concluding a fast‑escalating series of competing bids from Novo that included an unconventional partial‑control structure.