Bond.az - Leerink reiterated an Outperform rating and $1,119.00 price target on Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) shares following gene therapy trial results. The pharmaceutical giant, with a market cap of $949.7 billion, has delivered a 50% return over the past year.
Eli Lilly announced that a single dose of its PCSK9 base editor, VERVE-102, reduced PCSK9 by up to 88% and LDL-C by up to 62% in a Phase 1b trial. The durable effects support its potential as a one-time therapy for hypercholesterolemia.
The company targets patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, affecting about 1 in 200 to 250 people. Leerink noted efficacy comparable to high-dose Repatha. Eli Lilly plans to begin Phase 2 enrollment by end of this year.
In July 2025, Eli Lilly completed the acquisition of Verve Therapeutics for $1 billion upfront. Other recent news includes positive Phase 3 results for obesity drug retatrutide, showing 28.3% average weight loss over 80 weeks.
