Chamath Palihapitiya Said This To Eli Lilly's Gene Therapy That Slashes LDL Cholesterol Up To 62%

Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya responded “What?!?!?!” on X, amplifying analyst Cremieux‘s post describing Eli Lilly and Company‘s (NYSE:LLY) VERVE-102 as “a powerful, permanent gene therapy for LDL cholesterol.”

What Triggered The Reaction

On Monday, Lilly reported positive Phase 1b data for VERVE-102, an investigational in vivo base editing medicine designed to permanently silence the PCSK9 gene in the liver, potentially replacing chronic cholesterol therapies with a single infusion.

PCSK9 is a gene that codes for an enzyme. When it is overactive, it reduces the number of LDL receptors in liver cells. As a result, more low-density lipoprotein cholesterol remains in circulation in the bloodstream. Permanently silencing this gene is the central therapeutic approach behind VERVE-102.

Data Shows Strong Efficacy

Published simultaneously in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the European Atherosclerosis Society Congress, the Heart-2 interim analysis of 35 participants showed dose-dependent mean LDL-C reductions of up to 62% and PCSK9 suppression of up to 88% at the highest 1.0 mg/kg dose. Reductions were held for up to 18 months.

According to Eli Lilly’s announcement, VERVE-102 was well-tolerated across all six dose cohorts, with no serious treatment-related adverse events or dose-limiting toxicities, though low-grade infusion reactions and fatigue were reported. All 35 participants received their full planned dose.

What You Should Know

The Food and Drug Administration has given Fast Track designation to VERVE-102, an official pathway meant to speed up the development and review of medicines for serious diseases with unmet medical needs.

Eli Lilly and Company plans to begin a Phase 2 clinical study by the end of the year.

The company also stated that Lilly’s Phase 1b trial for VERVE-201, targeting the ANGPTL3 gene, is also ongoing. ANGPTL3 is an investigational gene-editing therapy that targets a protein involved in regulating lipid metabolism in the liver.

The VERVE-102 results follow Lilly’s separate announcement of positive Phase 3 data for Foundayo, its oral GLP-1 weight loss pill, reflecting a string of positive pipeline readouts for the drugmaker.

What’s Going On With LLY Stock?

In its most recent quarter reported in April, the biopharmaceutical company posted first-quarter revenue of $19.80 billion and earnings per share of $8.55, topping analyst estimates by 11.39% and 24.82%, respectively.

Eli Lilly and Company has a market capitalization of $1 trillion. Its 52-week high is $1,133.95, while its 52-week low is $623.78.

The biotech stock has gained 46.85% over the past year, but it has declined 3.56% over the past six months.

Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings indicate that LLY stock has a Growth score of 99.54 and a Quality score of 97.06.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.