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Pfizer acquires Metsera for $4.9 billion, enhancing its portfolio in obesity and cardiovascular treatments with innovative therapies and strong clinical potential.
Pfizer will acquire all of Metsera’s treatment options in its pipeline along with four programs currently in clinical development.
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Pfizer announced its acquisition of Metsera, aiming to accelerate and advance its next generation of obesity and cardiovascular disease medicines. Both company’s board of directors unanimously approved the acquisition and aim to pair Metsera’s promising medicines with Pfizer’s experience with drug development.
Albert Bourla, chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer, touched on the company’s reasoning behind the acquisition, saying, “Obesity is a large and growing space with over 200 health conditions associated with it. The proposed acquisition of Metsera aligns with our focus on directing our investments to the most impactful opportunities and propels Pfizer into this key therapeutic area. We are excited to apply our deep cardiometabolic experience and manufacturing and commercial infrastructure to accelerate a portfolio that includes potential best-in-class injectables, with clinical data differentiated by efficacy, tolerability and durability supporting monthly dosing, with the aim to address the ongoing unmet needs associated with obesity and related diseases.”
A driving factor of the acquisition, Metsera’s portfolio of promising cardiovascular and obesity therapy treatments also includes several next-generation programs with IND-enabling studies ongoing, along with four programs currently undergoing clinical development.1
MET-233i’s initial Phase I clinical results were presented on September 17 as a late-breaker during the 61st Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) displaying its potential as a best-in-class profile.
Per the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will acquire all outstanding shares of Metsera common stock at $47.50 per share in cash, representing a total value of $4.9 billion. 1 A non-transferable contingent value right is also included in the deal, entitling shareholders to potential additional payments upwards of $22.50 per share in cash which are tied to three clinical and regulatory milestones.
The acquisition is set to close in the fourth quarter later this year, and is subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, such as receipt of required regulatory approvals and approval from Metsera shareholders.
Whit Bernard, co-founder and chief executive officer of Metsera, discussed the acquisition, saying, “Since our founding in 2022, Metsera has worked tirelessly to reduce the physical, emotional, and economic burdens of obesity with a portfolio of next generation nutrient-stimulated hormone therapeutic candidates. Our team has invented and developed multiple injectable and oral candidate medicines and a category-leading peptide engineering platform, which together promise class-leading performance in a major sector of population health. Today’s announcement sets a path for our portfolio to potentially transform the lives of hundreds of millions of people and represents an excellent outcome for our shareholders. We look forward to joining forces with Pfizer to leverage their global clinical, regulatory, manufacturing, and commercial capabilities to realize the promise of improved human health at scale.”
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