Add biotech firms details in paragraph 5, analyst comment in paragraphs 6 and 7

By Prakhar Srivastava

Jan 31 (Reuters) - Shares of weight-loss drug developer Metsera MTSR.O surged nearly 42% in a strong Nasdaq debut on Friday, valuing the ARCH Venture Partners-backed biotech firm at $2.68 billion.

The strong market debut of the New York City-based biotech company highlights the growing investor interest in companies developing innovative weight-loss treatments.

Shares of the company opened at $25.5 apiece, compared with the initial public offering price of $18.

Some expects forecast that the global weight-loss drug market could be valued at $150 billion by the early 2030s.

Last year, biotech firms such as BioAge Labs BIOA.O and MBX Biosciences MBX.O were well received on their debuts, but have lost ground to trade much lower than their IPO price, as of Jan. 31.

"Stock prices in this space are highly sensitive to breakthrough data, creating a very dynamic 'winner-takes-all' market" said IPOX research analyst Lukas Muehlbauer

"The market seems to be increasingly focused on oral therapies, where Metsera is only in pre-clinical trials," he added.

Metsera sold 15.28 million shares at $18 apiece after downsizing its IPO. The company had initially marketed 17.19 million shares at a range of $15 to $17 per share.

The expectations of lower corporate taxes and a more business-friendly regulatory environment under the Donald Trump administration improved investors' sentiment and their appetite for U.S. IPOs.

However, analyst do not expects a dramatic rise in IPO proceeds for 2025 due to high interest rates.

Founded in 2022 by venture capital firm ARCH Venture and investment company Population Health Partners, Metsera is developing injectable and oral drugs to treat obesity, based on the GLP-1 mechanism and other biological targets.

Metsera's most advanced product candidate, MET-097i, an injectable, showed an average weight loss of 11.3% in patients during a mid-stage trial, the company said earlier this month.

(Reporting by Prakhar Srivastava and Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru ; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Maju Samuel)

((Prakhar.srivastava2@thomsonreuters.com;))