Pfizer announces purchase of Metsera, which makes anti-obesity drugs
The American pharmaceutical group Pfizer announced, this Monday (22), the purchase of Metsera, which produces medicines for obesity and heart disease, for 4.9 billion dollars (R$ 26 billion at the current exchange rate).
With the acquisition, Pfizer seeks to expand its portfolio by entering the gigantic obesity treatments market.
“Obesity is a broad and growing field with more than 200 associated health conditions,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement released by the two companies.
“The proposed acquisition of Metsera aligns with our focus on directing our investments to the highest-impact opportunities and positions Pfizer in this key therapeutic area,” he added.
The transaction – which is expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2025 – includes the purchase of Metsera shares for $47.5 each, totaling $4.9 billion.
The success of the obesity and diabetes medications Ozempic and Wegovy – from the Danish company Novo Nordisk – and Zepbound – from the American Eli Lilly – has increased the interest of pharmaceutical companies in the sector.
Pfizer was one of the first laboratories to develop a vaccine against Covid-19 using messenger RNA technology, which increased its revenues for several years.
But the group's shares have fallen since the end of the pandemic, from around $58 per share in December 2021 (323 reais at the time) to $24 (128 reais) per share at Wall Street's close last week.
In electronic trading before the New York Stock Exchange opened on Monday, Pfizer shares rose 1.6%, while Metsera shares soared nearly 60%.
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