Novo Nordisk logo is seen in this illustration taken August 5, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
FILE PHOTO: A Pfizer research facility is shown in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, U.S., September 30, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

By Tom Hals

WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) -A Delaware judge on Wednesday rejected Pfizer’s bid to temporarily block Metsera from ending its merger agreement and accepting a higher $10 billion bid from Denmark's Novo Nordisk, the latest twist in the fast-moving takeover battle.

The ruling is the latest wrinkle in a heated bidding war for Metsera between Novo and Pfizer, with each raising its bid this week, as the two jockey for position in what some analysts forecast will be a $150 billion obesity drug market by early next decade.

The bidding war kicked off last week with Novo's surprise bid for Metsera after it had already agreed to be acquired by Pfizer. It has turned into a rancorous legal fight as Novo tries to recover its once-commanding position in obesity drugs while Pfizer attempts to overcome past stumbles in that market.

(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware and Sabrina Valle in New York; Editing by Mark Porter and Bill Berkrot)