Pfizer has a large plant in Cork. Photo: Getty

Pfizer has a large plant in Cork. Photo: Getty

Karen Leigh and Madison Muller

BloombergToday at 13:56

Pfizer has agreed to buy the obesity startup Metsera for an enterprise value of about $4.9bn, as it seeks to catch up in a booming market after terminating the development of its own weight-loss pill for safety reasons.

The US drugmaker, which has a significant presence in Ireland, will pay Metsera $47.50 in cash per share, and further payments of up to $22.50 per share if three specific and regulatory milestones are met. The deal represents a 43pc premium to Metsera’s closing share price on Friday.