Lilly To Acquire Verve Therapeutics

Reuters (6/16, Palyekar, Santhosh, Singh, Roy) reports Eli Lilly will purchase “gene-editing startup Verve Therapeutics for up to $1.3 billion, the companies said on Tuesday, accelerating a push into experimental cardiovascular therapies.” The companies had partnered “to develop one-time, gene-editing therapies to reduce high cholesterol in people with heart disease, as part of Lilly’s efforts to look beyond its blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drugs for growth.” Verve’s therapies, “which are in early-stage trials, use a form of gene editing known as base editing that causes one-time changes to patients’ DNA.” Its lead therapy “targets a gene called PCSK9 that is linked to cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health and is expected to be launched in the next decade.” The deal “includes an upfront payment of almost $1 billion and a further $300 million based on Verve achieving certain clinical milestones.”