A Pfizer logo is displayed at a research center in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, U.S., on September 30, 2025.
Mike Blake | Reuters
Pfizer On Monday he said he filed a second lawsuit against Nordisk and Metseraalleging that the Danish manufacturer's attempt to outbid Pfizer to acquire the anti-obesity biotech is anti-competitive.
Pfizer alleges that Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk's proposed acquisition of Metsera would help it maintain its dominant position in the successful obesity market by eliminating a smaller potential competitor, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Delaware. The lawsuit also alleges that Metsera's majority shareholders conspired with the obesity biotech and Novo Nordisk.
In a statement on Monday, Ambre James Brown, vice president of global media at Novo Nordisk, said that “Pfizer's unfounded claims that Novo Nordisk seeks to suppress innovation through our offering are false and unsubstantiated.”
“Instead of competing on price, Pfizer has taken a very unusual and seemingly desperate approach by filing its antitrust lawsuit today,” Brown said. It added that Novo Nordisk's offer, including the structure of the transaction, complies with all applicable laws and is in the “best interests” of patients and Metsera shareholders.
In a statement, Metsera said: “Pfizer is trying to litigate to buy Metsera for a lower price than Novo Nordisk.” The company added that Pfizer's litigation arguments “are nonsense and Metsera will address them in court.”
The new lawsuit intensifies a heated standoff between Pfizer and Novo Nordisk over Metsera, whose obesity project could spawn new competitors in the burgeoning weight-loss drug market. In September, Pfizer said it would acquire Metsera for $4.9 billion, or up to $7.3 billion with future payments, a deal that could be the company's golden ticket into this space after struggling to bring its own anti-obesity products to market.
But Novo Nordisk on Thursday launched a takeover bid valuing the biotech at around $6 billion, prompting a four-business-day deadline for Pfizer to renegotiate its offer. On Friday, Pfizer filed its first lawsuit against Novo Nordisk and Metsera seeking to prevent the biotech from terminating its existing merger agreement with Pfizer.
That lawsuit, filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery, alleges that Novo Nordisk's offer cannot be considered a superior proposal because it is not reasonably likely to be completed due to its significant regulatory risk.
Novo Nordisk helped establish the weight loss drug space, bringing highly effective GLP-1 drugs to market, including diabetes injection Ozempic and obesity injection Wegovy. But the company has lost its leading position in the market to its main rival, Eli Lillyover the past year and has struggled to impress investors with its pipeline of projects.
