Overview
- The pivotal Phase 3 retatrutide results, reported May 21, showed very large, sustained weight loss with mean losses near 26% at 80 weeks and over 30% in higher‑BMI participants at 104 weeks while improving cardiometabolic risk markers.
- Lilly has agreed to buy three vaccine developers for about $3.8–4.0 billion combined and earlier acquired Engage Biologics for up to $202 million to add nanoparticle, toxoid/AMR and non‑viral DNA delivery platforms to its pipeline.
- Updated payer and PBM templates are expanding patient access, with CVS Caremark coverage for the oral drug Foundayo starting June 1, broader injectable templates set to resume by October 1, and a Medicare GLP‑1 bridge benefit beginning July 1 for some Part D beneficiaries.
- The company also reported positive Phase 1b Verve‑102 data on May 25 showing dose‑dependent PCSK9 reductions of 51%–88% and LDL‑C drops up to 62% with effects durable to 18 months after a single dose.
- Investors pushed LLY to record highs and analysts turned more bullish, with Wolfe Research reiterating an Outperform and $1,350 target while firms model a possible 2027 launch for retatrutide and multi‑billion dollar sales later in the decade, though uptake may depend on tolerability and real‑world access.