Five months after ending development of its own obesity treatment, Pfizer is accelerating its push into the growing field with a nearly $5 billion acquisition.

The COVID-19 vaccine and treatment maker earlier this week
said that it will pay $47.50 in cash for each share of development-stage drugmaker Metsera. That represents a premium of more than 42 percent to Metsera’s closing price on Friday.

Pfizer also could pay an additional $22.50 per share depending on how Metsera’s product pipeline develops.

Metsera Inc. has no products on the market, but its pipeline includes four programs in clinical development and one in mid-stage testing.

Pfizer said the deal will add expertise and potential oral and injectable treatments.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla noted in a statement from the drugmaker that there are more than 200 health conditions associated with obesity, which he called “a large and growing space.”

Demand for obesity treatments has soared in recent years, due to unprecedented weight loss provided by regular injections of market leaders Wegovy from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and Co.’s Zepbound. The Lilly drug generated $5.7 billion in sales in the first half of the year.

The drugs can cost patients hundreds of dollars a month, however, and researchers in the field are looking for competition to potentially drive down prices.

Pfizer currently has no obesity treatments on the market but has some in clinical development.