Regeneron Faces Eylea Uncertainty; Madrigal's Rezdiffra Exceeds Expectations
Key Insights
Regeneron's shares declined due to concerns over Eylea sales, despite hopes for new drugs targeting blood clots, lung cancer (search), and obesity to revitalize growth.
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals' Rezdiffra, a MASH treatment, significantly surpassed sales forecasts, with $62 million in sales reported for the third quarter.
UCB (search)'s bepranemab, an Alzheimer's drug, showed promising signs of slowing cognitive decline in a mid-stage trial, despite missing its primary endpoint.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is facing investor concerns regarding the sales performance of its flagship drug, Eylea, while Madrigal Pharmaceuticals is celebrating the successful launch of its MASH drug, Rezdiffra.
Regeneron's Eylea Sales Under Pressure
Regeneron's stock experienced a nearly 10% drop as doubts grow about the future revenue of Eylea. The company has been banking on a high-dose version of Eylea to compete with Roche's Vabysmo and forthcoming biosimilars. However, third-quarter sales of $392 million fell short of expectations, trailing Vabysmo's revenue trajectory. Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger attributed this to slower-than-anticipated adoption. RBC Capital Markets analyst Brian Abrahams suggests that upcoming data readouts for drugs targeting blood clots, lung cancer (search), and obesity could potentially shift the narrative.
Madrigal's Rezdiffra Exceeds Expectations
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals reported impressive third-quarter sales for Rezdiffra, its recently approved treatment for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (search) (MASH). Sales reached $62 million, significantly exceeding the consensus forecast of approximately $36 million. The company indicated that over 80% of individuals covered by private payers in the U.S. have insurance policies in place for the drug. Following the earnings report, Madrigal's shares surged by nearly 40%.
UCB's Alzheimer's Drug Shows Promise
UCB (search) announced encouraging data from a Phase 2a study of bepranemab, an experimental drug for Alzheimer's disease (search). Bepranemab targets a specific region on tau (search), a protein linked to Alzheimer's. While the trial did not meet its primary endpoint, secondary objectives indicated that the drug could slow cognitive decline and tau accumulation compared to placebo. Post-hoc analyses revealed that certain participants receiving a high dose of bepranemab experienced a 29% reduction in disease progression. UCB's Chief Scientific Officer, Alistair Henry, expressed optimism regarding these findings.
AbbVie and EvolveImmune Collaborate on Cancer Therapies
AbbVie (search) is partnering with EvolveImmune Therapeutics (search) to develop multispecific antibody drugs for cancer (search). AbbVie gains the option to license T cell engagers designed by EvolveImmune, which incorporate modifications to enhance their potency. The agreement involves an initial payment of $65 million in cash and an equity investment from AbbVie, with the potential for an additional $1.4 billion in option fees and milestone payments.