Amgen's IMDYLLTRA Approved by EU for Lung Cancer Treatment
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Apr 02 2026
0mins
Source: seekingalpha
Amgen Inc's stock rose by 3.00% and reached a 20-day high amid a significant market downturn, with the Nasdaq-100 down 3.04% and the S&P 500 down 1.63%.
The European Commission has approved Amgen's IMDYLLTRA as a monotherapy for small cell lung cancer, marking a major advancement in treatment options. This approval follows the DeLLphi-304 Phase 3 trial, which demonstrated a 40% reduction in mortality risk and extended median overall survival from 8.3 months to 13.6 months, showcasing the drug's effectiveness and potential impact on patient care.
This approval not only enhances Amgen's portfolio in oncology but also addresses a critical need for effective treatments in small cell lung cancer, potentially driving future growth and improving patient outcomes.
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Analyst Views on AMGN
Wall Street analysts forecast AMGN stock price to rise
24 Analyst Rating
14 Buy
9 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 341.660
Low
280.00
Averages
363.10
High
425.00
Current: 341.660
Low
280.00
Averages
363.10
High
425.00
About AMGN
Amgen Inc. is a biotechnology company. It discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers medicines for the toughest diseases. It focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve people’s lives. It operates in the human therapeutics segment. Its marketed products portfolio includes EPOGEN (epoetin alfa); Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa); Parsabiv (etelcalcetide); Neulasta (pegfilgrastim); KANJINTI (trastuzumab-anns); Otezla; BLINCYTO (blinatumomab); ACTIMMUNE (interferon gamma-1b); Neulasta (pegfilgrastim); Sensipar/Mimpara (cinacalcet); Prolia (denosumab); ENBREL; QUINSAIR (levofloxacin); Repatha (evolocumab) and others. It markets ENBREL, a tumor necrosis factor blocker, in the United States and Canada. It markets Otezla, a small molecule that inhibits phosphodiesterase 4, in many countries around the world. It markets Repatha, a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor, in many countries around the world.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Investment Analysis: Amgen vs. NovoCure
- Amgen Financial Performance: In FY 2025, Amgen's revenue reached $36.8 billion, reflecting a 10.1% growth with a net income of $7.7 billion, showcasing its strong market position in chronic disease treatments despite risks from customer concentration.
- NovoCure's Innovative Model: NovoCure generated approximately $655.4 million in FY 2025, an 8.3% increase, but reported a net loss of nearly $136.2 million, highlighting the high costs associated with expanding its product reach.
- Risk Comparison: Amgen faces regulatory pressures and tax disputes, with concentrated manufacturing in Puerto Rico posing natural disaster risks, while NovoCure relies on strict international medical standards and payer coverage, facing intense competition.
- Valuation Comparison: Amgen's forward P/E ratio stands at 15.2x, indicating strong profitability, while NovoCure's P/S ratio is 2.6x, suggesting potential growth but necessitating caution regarding its funding needs, prompting investors to weigh risks against returns.
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- Geopolitical Influence: Citigroup strategist Scott Chronert pointed out that easing tensions between the U.S. and Iran are driving broader market gains, with market optimism significantly boosted by the positive sentiment surrounding current Iran negotiations.
- Healthcare Sector Opportunities: Despite the S&P 500 healthcare sector declining over 1% this year, UBS's Gerry Fowler believes the sector's appeal is increasing, particularly in the U.S., where themes reflecting accelerating growth are becoming as attractive as long-standing AI capex beneficiaries.
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Amgen Rated Among High Yield Fortune 500 Stocks
- Dividend Yield: Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) boasts an annual dividend yield of 2.85%, placing it among the 12 High Yield Fortune 500 Stocks, indicating its stable cash flow and attractiveness for income-seeking investors.
- Price Target Increase: Morgan Stanley analyst Terence Flynn raised Amgen's price target from $322 to $340 while maintaining an 'Equal Weight' rating, suggesting a cautious outlook as the new target still indicates over 4% downside risk from current levels.
- Uplizna Approval: Amgen's Uplizna received FDA approval last year as the first treatment for Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD), with additional approval for generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) expected in February 2026, potentially opening new revenue streams for the company.
- Market Potential: Morgan Stanley noted a strong start for Uplizna in the gMG market, projecting that the market could double to over $10 billion in the next five years, highlighting Amgen's growth potential and competitive position in the biopharmaceutical sector.
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Future Outlook for Obesity Drugs Market
- Intensifying Market Competition: At the conference in New Orleans, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk showcased their GLP-1 drugs, with Novo's Wegovy prescriptions exceeding 3 million within five months of launch, indicating that oral medications are attracting more consumers and could reshape the weight loss drug market.
- New Drug Development Updates: Structure Therapeutics and AstraZeneca shared mid-stage data, and if their GLP-1 drugs succeed in Phase 3 trials, they are expected to hit the market by 2029, further enriching market options and intensifying competition.
- Innovative Administration Methods: Pfizer's new drug shows potential for monthly administration, which could be more convenient than current weekly injections, while Amgen is testing a drug that could be administered monthly or quarterly, aiming to enhance patient adherence to treatment.
- Future Market Outlook: With approximately 2.5 billion people globally classified as overweight and 890 million as obese, the competition will intensify as new drugs continue to emerge, while Lilly and Novo are also working to improve insurance coverage for GLP-1 drugs, which is expected to attract more patients.
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Future Outlook for Obesity Medications
- Intensifying Market Competition: At the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk showcased their new GLP-1 drugs, with Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill achieving over 3 million prescriptions within five months of launch, indicating the potential of oral medications to attract more patients to weight-loss treatments.
- New Drug Development Updates: Structure Therapeutics and AstraZeneca shared mid-stage data on their respective GLP-1 pills, which, if successful in Phase 3 trials, are expected to hit the market by 2029, further enriching the options available to meet the growing demand for obesity treatments.
- Innovative Treatment Frequency: Pfizer's drug, acquired through its $10 billion purchase of Metsera, shows potential for monthly injections, while Amgen is testing a drug that could be administered quarterly, significantly improving patient adherence and reducing the burden of weekly injections.
- Exploration of Emerging Therapies: Zealand Pharma's petrelintide drug demonstrated an average weight loss of nearly 11% in mid-stage trials, which, while less effective than existing medications, had fewer side effects, leading the CEO to believe that this could spark strong demand for new therapies and potentially reshape the obesity treatment market.
See More
Investment Analysis: Amgen vs. NovoCure
- Amgen Financial Performance: In FY 2025, Amgen's revenue reached $36.8 billion, reflecting a 10.1% growth with a net income of $7.7 billion, showcasing its strong market position in chronic disease treatments despite risks from customer concentration.
- NovoCure's Innovative Model: NovoCure generated approximately $655.4 million in FY 2025, an 8.3% increase, but reported a net loss of nearly $136.2 million, highlighting the high costs associated with expanding its product reach.
- Risk Comparison: Amgen faces regulatory pressures and tax disputes, with concentrated manufacturing in Puerto Rico posing natural disaster risks, while NovoCure relies on strict international medical standards and payer coverage, facing intense competition.
- Valuation Comparison: Amgen's forward P/E ratio stands at 15.2x, indicating strong profitability, while NovoCure's P/S ratio is 2.6x, suggesting potential growth but necessitating caution regarding its funding needs, prompting investors to weigh risks against returns.
See More
Market Momentum Broadens Beyond AI
- Market Performance Surge: As of Tuesday, the equal-weighted S&P 500 has risen 10.4% this year, compared to a 9.7% increase in the market cap-weighted version, indicating that the equal-weight index is on track to outperform the traditional S&P 500 for the first time since 2022, reflecting broad market interest in emerging technologies.
- Geopolitical Influence: Citigroup strategist Scott Chronert pointed out that easing tensions between the U.S. and Iran are driving broader market gains, with market optimism significantly boosted by the positive sentiment surrounding current Iran negotiations.
- Healthcare Sector Opportunities: Despite the S&P 500 healthcare sector declining over 1% this year, UBS's Gerry Fowler believes the sector's appeal is increasing, particularly in the U.S., where themes reflecting accelerating growth are becoming as attractive as long-standing AI capex beneficiaries.
- Software Sector Recovery: Although the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF is down 13% year-to-date, it has gained over 14% in the second quarter, indicating improved earnings revisions in the software sector that could provide additional growth momentum.
See More
SpaceX Stock Soars, Tesla Deliveries Exceed Expectations
- SpaceX Stock Surge: Following a nearly 20% gain on its first trading day, SpaceX's stock rose another 4.5% in premarket trading, driven by CEO Elon Musk's projection of $1 trillion in revenue by 2030, potentially pushing its market cap above Amazon's.
- Tesla Deliveries Exceed Expectations: Goldman Sachs reports that Tesla's second-quarter vehicle deliveries are tracking ahead of consensus, with speculation that Musk aims to merge Tesla and SpaceX to leverage synergies between the Optimus robot and Starlink internet service, enhancing competitive positioning.
- Dave & Buster's Sales Decline: Dave & Buster's comparable store sales fell 5.4% in the quarter ending May 5, significantly worse than the -1.2% consensus, resulting in a nearly 15% drop in premarket trading, prompting analysts to adopt a cautious outlook on its future performance.
- Yum Brands Sells Pizza Hut: Yum Brands has sold Pizza Hut to private equity firm LongRange Capital for $2.7 billion, a strategic move to exit the underperforming pizza business and focus on higher-growth brands like KFC and Taco Bell, reflecting a decisive shift in corporate strategy.
See More
Amgen Rated Among High Yield Fortune 500 Stocks
- Dividend Yield: Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) boasts an annual dividend yield of 2.85%, placing it among the 12 High Yield Fortune 500 Stocks, indicating its stable cash flow and attractiveness for income-seeking investors.
- Price Target Increase: Morgan Stanley analyst Terence Flynn raised Amgen's price target from $322 to $340 while maintaining an 'Equal Weight' rating, suggesting a cautious outlook as the new target still indicates over 4% downside risk from current levels.
- Uplizna Approval: Amgen's Uplizna received FDA approval last year as the first treatment for Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD), with additional approval for generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) expected in February 2026, potentially opening new revenue streams for the company.
- Market Potential: Morgan Stanley noted a strong start for Uplizna in the gMG market, projecting that the market could double to over $10 billion in the next five years, highlighting Amgen's growth potential and competitive position in the biopharmaceutical sector.
See More
Future Outlook for Obesity Drugs Market
- Intensifying Market Competition: At the conference in New Orleans, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk showcased their GLP-1 drugs, with Novo's Wegovy prescriptions exceeding 3 million within five months of launch, indicating that oral medications are attracting more consumers and could reshape the weight loss drug market.
- New Drug Development Updates: Structure Therapeutics and AstraZeneca shared mid-stage data, and if their GLP-1 drugs succeed in Phase 3 trials, they are expected to hit the market by 2029, further enriching market options and intensifying competition.
- Innovative Administration Methods: Pfizer's new drug shows potential for monthly administration, which could be more convenient than current weekly injections, while Amgen is testing a drug that could be administered monthly or quarterly, aiming to enhance patient adherence to treatment.
- Future Market Outlook: With approximately 2.5 billion people globally classified as overweight and 890 million as obese, the competition will intensify as new drugs continue to emerge, while Lilly and Novo are also working to improve insurance coverage for GLP-1 drugs, which is expected to attract more patients.
See More
Future Outlook for Obesity Medications
- Intensifying Market Competition: At the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk showcased their new GLP-1 drugs, with Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill achieving over 3 million prescriptions within five months of launch, indicating the potential of oral medications to attract more patients to weight-loss treatments.
- New Drug Development Updates: Structure Therapeutics and AstraZeneca shared mid-stage data on their respective GLP-1 pills, which, if successful in Phase 3 trials, are expected to hit the market by 2029, further enriching the options available to meet the growing demand for obesity treatments.
- Innovative Treatment Frequency: Pfizer's drug, acquired through its $10 billion purchase of Metsera, shows potential for monthly injections, while Amgen is testing a drug that could be administered quarterly, significantly improving patient adherence and reducing the burden of weekly injections.
- Exploration of Emerging Therapies: Zealand Pharma's petrelintide drug demonstrated an average weight loss of nearly 11% in mid-stage trials, which, while less effective than existing medications, had fewer side effects, leading the CEO to believe that this could spark strong demand for new therapies and potentially reshape the obesity treatment market.
See More
