American pharmaceutical company PfizerFor Metsera and Novo NordiskA lawsuit has been filed against the two weight-loss drug companies .The latest merger agreement reached with the property developer violates U.S. federal antitrust laws. This is Pfizer 's second lawsuit in four days, aimed at preserving its acquisition agreement that was unexpectedly disrupted by Novo Nordisk .

According to a complaint filed by Pfizer in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware on Monday, Pfizer alleges that Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic , is planning a proposed acquisition of U.S. biopharmaceutical company Metsera, which would further solidify its leadership in the field of obesity treatments by killing a smaller competitor.

The background to this event is that in September of this year, Pfizer announced that it had agreed to acquire Metera for $47.50 per share in cash, corresponding to an enterprise value of approximately $4.9 billion. If certain research and development targets are met, Pfizer will pay an additional $22.50 per share, bringing the total transaction value to $7.3 billion, in order to advance Pfizer's weight-loss drug development strategy after previous setbacks.

However, by last Thursday, Novo Nordisk had submitted an all-cash offer of $56.50 per share, valuing the company at approximately $6 billion. An additional $3 billion would be paid if certain milestones were met. Metsera considered Novo Nordisk's offer more attractive and noted that Pfizer had four business days to submit a better offer.

Metsera is reportedly one of the most promising companies in the weight-loss drug market, and is developing several experimental weight-loss drugs, including one that may require less frequent injections than Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.Innovative drugs based on existing products.

In a statement on Monday, Pfizer said it was taking legal action to prevent Novo Nordisk from gaining control of a rising U.S. competitor by illegally paying compensation to Metsera and its controlling shareholder.

Pfizer claims that if the deal goes through, U.S. patients will lose a "more cost-effective and innovative" late-stage pipeline, directly violating the Sherman Act.

The lawsuit also alleges that Metsera’s controlling shareholders—including Validae Health and Population Health Partners—colluded with Novo Nordisk and Metsera to advance this anti-competitive scheme.

Last Friday, Pfizer filed its first lawsuit against Novo Nordisk and Metera, seeking an injunction against Metera for breach of the agreement. Both Novo Nordisk and Metera stated they will defend themselves in court against the allegations in Pfizer's initial lawsuit.

In Pfizer's first lawsuit, the company argued that Novo Nordisk's acquisition offer could not be considered a "better offer," partly because the deal was highly likely to fail regulatory review.

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