Pharma Stock Roundup: BAYRY's Q4 Results, ABBV's Obesity Deal & More
This week, Bayer BAYRY announced its fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 results. AbbVie ABBV announced a licensing deal with Danish firm Gubra for an amylin-targeting obesity treatment, which marked the company's entry into the obesity space. Novo Nordisk NVO announced that it is cutting the price of its popular obesity injection, Wegovy, for the uninsured following a similar move by rival Eli Lilly. J&J JNJ discontinued a phase III study on a candidate being evaluated as an adjunctive treatment for major depressive disorder (aMDD). The FDA accepted Roche's RHHBY application seeking expanded use of its lymphoma drug, Gazyva/Gazyvaro, for the treatment of lupus nephritis.
Here's a recap of the week's most important stories.
Novo Nordisk is launching a new direct-to-patient online pharmacy called NovoCare, which will offer Wegovy at a discounted price of $499 per month, less than half of its listed price. This offer is for patients who do not have insurance coverage and pay by cash as well as those with insurance but have no coverage for obesity medicines. The website provides an option for these patients to have their injections delivered to their homes.
Novo Nordisk's announcement follows a similar move by rival Eli Lilly. Last week, Lilly also announced that it is reducing the prices of its 7.5 mg and 10 mg single-dose vials of obesity treatment Zepbound to $499 per month for customers paying through a new self-pay program called LillyDirect Self-Pay Pharmacy Solutions.
Bayer's fourth-quarter core earnings of €1.05 per share declined 43.2% year over year. Sales of €11.7 billion rose 0.1% on a currency and portfolio-adjusted basis. Sales in the Crop Science segment decreased 2.3%. Pharmaceuticals segment sales increased 2.4%, while Consumer Health sales declined 0.9% on a currency and portfolio-adjusted basis.
In the Pharmaceuticals segment, sales of new products, cancer drug Nubeqa and kidney drug, Kerendia, remained strong, offsetting the loss of exclusivity impact on sales of oral anticoagulant Xarelto. The pace of growth in the Consumer Health business has slowed down. The Crop Science business was adversely impacted by lower prices in the crop protection business due to competitive pricing pressure.
Bayer issued a financial guidance for 2025. The company expects 2025 to be a 'pivotal year' and the most difficult in terms of financial performance. Sales are expected to be in the range of €45-€47 billion in 2025. Core EPS is projected to be in the band of €4.50-€5.00. Bayer expects its performance to improve from 2026.
AbbVie in-licensed rights to develop a phase I candidate, GUB014295, a long-acting amylin analog for the treatment of obesity from Danish biotech, Gubra. AbbVie will lead the development of the candidate. For the deal, which marks AbbVie's entry into the obesity space, it will make an upfront payment of $350 million to Gubra. It will also pay milestone payments of up to $1.875 billion to Gubra.
The FDA accepted a supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) seeking approval for Roche's Gazyva/Gazyvaro for the treatment of lupus nephritis. The sBLA was based on based on data from the phase III REGENCY study. The FDA's decision on the sBLA is expected by October 2024. A similar application is also under review in the EU. Gazyva/Gazyvaro is presently approved for treating various types of lymphoma.
J&J announced the discontinuation of the phase III VENTURA program on pipeline candidate, aticaprant, for aMDD. The decision to end the program was based on the lack of sufficient efficacy observed in the target patient population. Data from the study showed that aticaprant was safe and well tolerated.
J&J, Novo Nordisk, Roche, AbbVie and Bayer carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) each. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The NYSE ARCA Pharmaceutical Index has risen 2% in the past five trading sessions.
Large Cap Pharmaceuticals Industry 5YR % Return
Here's how the eight major stocks performed in the previous five trading sessions.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
In the last five trading sessions, Merck rose the most (3.8%), while Novo Nordisk declined the most (1.3%).
In the past six months, AbbVie rose the most (7.3%), while Novo Nordisk declined the most (33.3%).
(See the last pharma stock roundup here: LLY Ups U.S. Manufacturing Investments & More)
Watch this space for regular pipeline and regulatory updates next week.
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Roche Holding AG (RHHBY) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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About Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S.5 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for more than 85% of cases.4 Activating HER2 mutations are found in 2% to 4% of advanced NSCLC.6 80% of people diagnosed with NSCLC have already progressed to advanced stages, which makes it more difficult to treat.7 Patients with HER2-mutant NSCLC currently face limited targeted therapies.8 About Oncology at BayerBayer is committed to delivering science for a better life by advancing a portfolio of innovative treatments. The company has the passion and determination to develop new medicines that help improve and extend the lives of people living with cancer. The oncology franchise at Bayer includes several marketed products across diverse indications and multiple compounds in different stages of clinical development. 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These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments. References Le X, et al. Safety and efficacy of BAY 2927088 in patients with HER2-mutant NSCLC: expansion cohort from the phase I/II SOHO-01 study. Presented at the 2024 IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer; San Diego, CA, September 7-10, 2024. PL04.03. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Priority Review." Accessed April 21, 2025. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Breakthrough Therapy." Accessed April 21, 2025. First in Human Study of BAY2927088 in Participants Who Have Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) With Mutations in the Genes of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and/or Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2). Clinical trial registration No. NCT05099172. Accessed April 21, 2025. American Cancer Society. Key Statistics for Lung Cancer. Accessed April 21, 2025. Nützinger, J, et al. (2023). Management of HER2 alterations in non-small cell lung cancer - The past, present, and future. Lung cancer (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 186, 107385. Yale Medicine. "Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer." Accessed April 21, 2025. Uy NF,et al. HER2 in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Review of Emerging Therapies. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Aug 27;14(17):4155. doi: 10.3390/cancers14174155. PMID: 36077691; PMCID: PMC9454740. View source version on Contacts Media Contact: Polina Miklush, Tel +1 862.431.8817Email:
