Obesity drug developer Kailera pops in Nasdaq debut after $625 million IPO

Kailera Therapeutics

17/04/2026 18:59

Updates

** Shares of weight-loss drug developer Kailera Therapeutics KLRA.O jump as much as 64.1% in Nasdaq debut

** Stock opens at $26 apiece versus $16 offer price

** Waltham, Massachusetts-based KLRA sold 39.1 million shares in an upsized IPO at top end of $14-$16 apiece marketed range to raise $625 million

** Demand for weight-loss drugs has skyrocketed in recent years, with the market expected to generate ​about $150 billion in annual sales over the next decade

** Kailera's lead product candidate ribupatide is in late-stage trials ‌as ⁠a once-weekly injectable GLP-1 drug

** Obesity, GLP-1 drug developers continue to fetch high takeover premiums, as seen with the recent acquisition of Metsera by Pfizer - IPOX Research Associate Lukas Muehlbauer

** J.P. Morgan, Jefferies, Leerink Partners, TD Cowen, Evercore ISI acted as joint book-running managers for offering

 (Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru)

 ((ArasuKannagi.Basil@thomsonreuters.com;))