COPENHAGEN, Oct 30, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, maker of weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, announced Thursday an unsolicited bid to acquire obesity treatment maker Metsera, topping an offer from US rival Pfizer.

Novo Nordisk's bid valued the US biotech firm at $6 billion.

"Under the terms of the proposal, Novo Nordisk would acquire all outstanding shares of Metsera's common stock at a price of $56.50 per share in cash," Novo Nordisk said in a statement.

It added that the bid was "currently subject to review by the Metsera board of directors."

In September, Pfizer said it would pay $47.50 per share to acquire Metsera, valuing the company at $4.9 billion.

Novo Nordisk said the acquisition of Metsera would give the Danish company "the opportunity to maximise the potential of Metsera's complementary portfolio and capabilities".

Shares in Novo Nordisk were down over two percent on the Copenhagen stock exchange following the announcement.

The popularity of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss injections had once made it a darling of investors, boosting its share price and at one point making it Europe's most valuable company.

But its share price has been tanking since last year as competition grows from rival treatments in its key market, the United States.

Novo Nordisk recently changed its CEO and announced it will lay off 9,000 employees.

Following a disagreement between the board and the majority shareholder over the company's future governance, it also announced earlier in October that it would replace more than half of its board, including the chair.

An extraordinary shareholders meeting has been scheduled for November 14.