While global M&A in 2023 was the lowest in a decade, there was one particular market segment that bucked the trend: obesity drugs. “The weight-loss market is huge. Anyone who doesn’t have exposure will want to have it. We are bound to see M&A activity there”, said Life Sciences partner Sophie McGrath, to Mergermarket. “There will be high activity on the innovator side and the pharma side, as everyone will want to have a weight-loss asset in their range of products. This is already ongoing”, she said. Although there is no question that glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists will be a closely watched space, given the market size and public interest, there is also additional upside and downside. “First of all, we have to see whether GLP-1 drugs will continue to be used”, said Private Equity partner Arvin Abraham. Assuming that is the case, in the longer term there could be a drop in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, renal disease, and bone and joint trauma, among other obesity-related conditions, he predicted.