Pfizer Sues Metsera and Novo Nordisk Over Rival Obesity Drug Strategy

Pfizer has filed a lawsuit against Metsera and Novo Nordisk, accusing the companies of misusing confidential information to advance a rival obesity treatment. The suit alleges that a former Pfizer employee unlawfully shared proprietary GLP-1 programme data with Metsera, which later partnered with Novo Nordisk. Pfizer claims the intellectual property was used to accelerate development of competitor compounds targeting the multi-billion-dollar obesity and metabolic disorders market dominated by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. The legal action marks an escalation of competition in the sector, where demand for weight-loss drugs is forecast to exceed $100 billion by 2030. Metsera has denied wrongdoing, while Novo Nordisk said it would contest the allegations. The case is expected to place increased scrutiny on data-sharing practices, talent movement across pharma firms and the protection of early-stage metabolic-drug research.