Eli Lilly announced Tuesday that it will acquire gene-editing firm Verve Therapeutics in a deal valued at up to $1.3 billion. The move expands Lilly\u2019s footprint in cardiovascular therapies, as it looks to diversify beyond its blockbuster diabetes and weight-loss medications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The acquisition comes with a premium price tag \u2014 $10.5 per share, representing a 67.5% markup over Verve\u2019s last closing price. Shares of Boston-based Verve surged 75% in early trading following the announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verve is developing one-time gene-editing therapies designed to reduce high cholesterol in people with a history of cardiovascular disease. Its lead candidate, VERVE-102, uses a technique known as base editing to make permanent changes to the PCSK9 gene, which regulates LDL cholesterol levels. The treatment remains in early-stage clinical trials and is not expected to reach the market before the next decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lilly will make an upfront payment of nearly $1 billion, with an additional $300 million tied to future clinical milestones. The deal follows multiple partnerships Lilly has made with gene-editing firms over the past two years, reinforcing its long-term strategy in cardiometabolic disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite investor enthusiasm, some analysts have raised doubts about the commercial need for additional genetic cholesterol-lowering therapies. \u201cWe are skeptical about the true market need,\u201d said Evan Seigerman of BMO Capital Markets, referencing existing treatments already available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, others view the acquisition as a significant win for the gene-editing space, which has struggled to maintain investor confidence amid slow progress and regulatory hurdles. Kevin Gade, COO at Bahl & Gaynor, noted that the deal keeps Lilly focused within its core expertise. \u201cIt fits within the cardiometabolic domain they already dominate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eli Lilly\u2019s leading treatments for diabetes and weight loss \u2014 Mounjaro and Zepbound \u2014 are forecast to bring in over $30 billion this year. However, the company has made clear it intends to balance its portfolio by investing in next-generation therapies, particularly in areas like cardiovascular health where long-term unmet needs persist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verve\u2019s use of base editing offers a novel, potentially one-time solution for patients with inherited risk factors for high cholesterol. The acquisition gives Lilly early access to this emerging technology and positions it at the forefront of a new wave of cardiovascular treatment innovation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pharma giant targets cholesterol treatments beyond diabetes drugs Eli Lilly announced Tuesday that it will acquire gene-editing firm Verve Therapeutics in a deal valued at up to $1.3 billion. The move expands Lilly\u2019s footprint in cardiovascular therapies, as it looks to diversify beyond its blockbuster diabetes and weight-loss medications. The acquisition comes with a premium […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10772,"featured_media":12110,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[1746,1749,1741,1739,1748,1745,1742,1743,1747,1740,1750,1744,1158],"class_list":{"0":"post-12109","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-base-editing","9":"tag-biotech-deal-2025","10":"tag-cardiovascular-health","11":"tag-cholesterol-treatment","12":"tag-early-stage-biotech","13":"tag-eli-lilly-acquisition","14":"tag-gene-editing","15":"tag-gene-therapy-investment","16":"tag-mounjaro","17":"tag-pcsk9-therapy","18":"tag-pharma-ma","19":"tag-verve-therapeutics","20":"tag-zepbound"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10772"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12109"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12111,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12109\/revisions\/12111"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalgazette.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}