Esperion Therapeutics Inc.

Esperion Therapeutics stock price target cut to $75 from $90 at UBS

Esperion Therapeutics stock price target cut to $75 from $90 at UBS

• May. 16, 2018 at 1:28 p.m. ET
• by Tomi Kilgore

Esperion Therapeutics downgraded to underweight from neutral at J.P. Morgan

Esperion Therapeutics downgraded to underweight from neutral at J.P. Morgan

• May. 3, 2018 at 7:42 a.m. ET
• by Tomi Kilgore

Esperion shares plummet 20% on late-stage trial results

Esperion Therapeutics Inc. shares plummeted 20% in premarket trade Wednesday on late-stage clinical trial results for its cholesterol-lowering medication. The phase 3 trial, which enrolled 2,230 patients, met the primary endpoint of safety and tolerability and the key efficacy endpoint, lowering LDL-C an additional 20% after 12 weeks, the company said. LDL-C was also lowered 20% at 24 weeks, and 16% at 52 weeks. Investors and Wall Street will be watching any potential safety issues with the therapy closely. Safety issues for individuals on the therapy, bempedoic acid, happened at a rate of nearly 80%, and serious safety issues were seen at nearly 11%, with the company noting there were "no clinically relevant differences" for those measures between the therapy and the placebo groups. Fatal adverse events that the company said were "unrelated to study treatment" happened at a nearly 1% rate for patients on bempedoic acid, or 13 patient deaths, relative to a 0.3% rate for patients on the placebo, or two patient deaths, according to an Esperion presentation. Bempedoic acid is intended for high-risk patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, or artery-clogging fat deposits, who haven't responded well enough to cholesterol-lowering drugs like statins. Other companies that have or are developing cholesterol-lowering medications include Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Sanofi , Amgen Inc. and Medicines Company , and Regeneron recently announced discounts for its cholesterol-lowering drug, in hopes of boosting sales. Esperion shares have lifted 0.7% month-to-date, compared with a 0.3% rise in the S&P 500 and a 0.3% decline in the Dow Jones Industrial Average .

• May. 2, 2018 at 8:38 a.m. ET
• by Emma Court

Esperion says cholesterol-lowering medication had positive results in late-stage trial

Esperion says cholesterol-lowering medication had positive results in late-stage trial

• May. 2, 2018 at 7:38 a.m. ET
• by Emma Court

Esperion shares halted in premarket trade

Esperion shares halted in premarket trade

• May. 2, 2018 at 7:35 a.m. ET
• by Emma Court

Regeneron discounts on cholesterol drug sends some rival stocks down

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s plans to lower the price of its cholesterol-lowering medication Praluent sent shares of some of its rivals down in Monday premarket trade. Regeneron shares rose 1.6% premarket, while shares of its partner Sanofi slumped about 0.1%. Shares of Amgen Inc. , which makes another cholesterol drug in the same category of drugs, termed PCSK9 inhibitors, declined 0.85% in premarket trade, and shares of Esperion Therapeutics Inc. , which recently reported positive results for a cholesterol drug in development, plummeted 5.7% premarket. Another PCSK9 inhibitor developer, Medicines Company , had its shares rise 6.2% premarket; the company has said it plans to compete with established rivals on price. PCSK9 inhibitors have been shown to be effective for patients when lifestyle changes and low-priced statinshaven't worked, but their high price tags have led to restrictions on insurance coverage. Alongside pricing changes, Regeneron also reported positive data in which its drug Praluent showed a 15% reduction in major adverse cardiac events relative to patients on the placebo. The decision to lower the price is a "'landmark' step here," said Bernstein analyst Ronny Gal, adding "our 2 cents is that it was unavoidable and Regeneron has shown leadership here by stepping out to reality (and obtained an advantage over Amgen in the process)." Regeneron shares have dropped 10.5% over the last three months and Sanofi shares have dropped 8.1%, compared with a 4.6% rise in the S&P 500 .

• Mar. 12, 2018 at 8:53 a.m. ET
• by Emma Court

UPDATE: Esperion reports positive results in late-stage trial of heart disease treatment , shares jump 4%

Esperion Therapeutics Inc. shares rose 3.9% in premarket trade Wednesday, after the company announced positive results from a late-stage trial of a treatment for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a condition involving a build-up of sticky cholesterol-rich plaque that can cause heart attack or stroke. Esperion said the phase 3 trial of bempedoic acid for patients with elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) met its primary endpoint of LDL-C lowering. "Patients treated with bempedoic acid also achieved a significantly greater reduction of 33 percent in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), an important marker of the underlying inflammation associated with cardiovascular disease, compared to the placebo group which had an increase of two percent (p<0.001)," the company said in a statement. The 12-week study involved 269 patients at 90 sites in the U.s., Canada and Europe. Esperion shares have gained 149% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 has gained 15%.

• Mar. 7, 2018 at 8:03 a.m. ET
• by Ciara Linnane

Esperion shares jump 5% after resuming trade after halt

Esperion shares jump 5% after resuming trade after halt

• Mar. 7, 2018 at 8:01 a.m. ET
• by Ciara Linnane

Esperion shares halted premarket for news

Esperion shares halted premarket for news

• Mar. 7, 2018 at 7:37 a.m. ET
• by Ciara Linnane

Esperion reports positive results in late-stage trial of heart disease treatment

Esperion reports positive results in late-stage trial of heart disease treatment

• Mar. 7, 2018 at 7:37 a.m. ET
• by Ciara Linnane

Charting the S&P 500’s bullish backdrop amid early third-quarter cross currents

• Jul. 11, 2017 at 12:20 p.m. ET
• by Michael Ashbaugh

Esperion Therapeutics stock price target raised to $60 from $45 at Stifel Nicolaus

• Jun. 27, 2017 at 6:47 a.m. ET
• by Tomi Kilgore

Charting the S&P 500’s ‘garden-variety’ violation of the 50-day average

• Apr. 13, 2017 at 11:59 a.m. ET
• by Michael Ashbaugh

Esperion Therapeutics upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS

• Mar. 30, 2017 at 3:48 p.m. ET
• by Tomi Kilgore

Esperion Therapeutics stock surges 52% after it says the FDA gave its drug program positive feedback

• Mar. 20, 2017 at 11:01 a.m. ET
• by Emma Court

Esperion Therapeutics stock surges 52% after it says the FDA gave its drug program positive feedback

• Mar. 20, 2017 at 10:39 a.m. ET
• by Emma Court

Esperion Therapeutics downgraded to neutral from buy at Citigroup

• Nov. 15, 2016 at 9:33 a.m. ET
• by Tomi Kilgore