Pfizer Is Buying Weight Loss Biotech Metsera. Here's Why Viking Therapeutics Shareholders May Be Cheering.

Weight loss drugs have represented an enormous growth area for biotech and pharma companies over the past couple of years. Pharma giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk dominate the market with their drugs and have brought in billions of dollars in revenue as demand skyrocketed. In fact, last year demand was so high -- surpassing supply at certain points -- that these drugs were on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's drug shortage list.Since then, Lilly and Novo Nordisk have ramped up manufacturing to better serve patients, but it's fair to say demand remains strong. The future looks bright too, with some analysts predicting the weight loss drug market will reach a value of nearly $100 billion by the end of the decade. So, it's no surprise that many companies are eager to get involved in this space.One in particular is big pharma company Pfizer. The company ended development of its own top candidate earlier this year, and rumors swirled that the next step would be the acquisition of a smaller company with a weight loss program.Continue readingWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool