NEW YORK: Pfizer is closing in on a potential US$7.3bil takeover of weight-loss drug developer Metsera, the Financial Times has reported, citing unidentified sources.
The US pharma firm will acquire New York City-based Metsera for US$47.50 per share in cash, with an additional US$22.50 per share contingent on the achievement of certain performance milestones, the newspaper said
It added that the announcement could come soon, unless deal talks fall through.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.
Pfizer and Metsera did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular business hours.
Talks to acquire Metsera come just months after the biotech firm’s blockbuster Nasdaq debut.
This underscored surging investor appetite for companies developing next-generation weight-loss therapies.
The US$47.50-per-share bid marks a roughly 42.5% premium over Metsera’s latest closing price of US$33.32, which pegged its market value at about US$3.5bil, according to LSEG data.
The deal marks Pfizer’s latest bid to secure a foothold in the lucrative anti-obesity drug market, following setbacks in its own development efforts. — Reuters
