Merck Licenses a Weight-Loss Pill. It’s Bad News for Obesity Biotechs.
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Source: Newsfilter
Merck's Entry into Weight-Loss Market: Merck has licensed an experimental obesity pill from China's Hansoh Pharma for $112 million, opting for a low-risk strategy rather than acquiring established biotech companies, reflecting the dominance of Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk in the weight-loss drug market.
Market Uncertainty and Future Prospects: The deal indicates Merck's cautious approach amid rising investor concerns about the sustainability of demand for obesity drugs, although analysts suggest this could lead to further growth opportunities for Merck's obesity franchise.
Analyst Views on GPCR
Wall Street analysts forecast GPCR stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for GPCR is 104.00 USD with a low forecast of 65.00 USD and a high forecast of 130.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
13 Analyst Rating
13 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 91.870
Low
65.00
Averages
104.00
High
130.00
Current: 91.870
Low
65.00
Averages
104.00
High
130.00
About GPCR
Structure Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing oral small molecule treatments for chronic metabolic and cardiopulmonary conditions with significant unmet medical needs. Its programs include Aleniglipron (GSBR-1290), ACCG-2671, GIP and GCG Receptor Oral Small Molecule Obesity Programs, ANPA-0073, and LTSE-2578. Its Aleniglipron is an oral and biased small molecule agonist of GLP-1R, a validated GPCR drug target for obesity. ACCG-2671 is an oral small molecule amylin receptor agonist for obesity. ANPA-0073 is a biased agonist targeting the apelin (APJ) receptor agonist. Its LTSE-2578, an Oral Small Molecule LPA1R Antagonist for IPF. It is developing an antagonist that targets lysophosphatidic acid 1 receptor (LPA1R), a GPCR implicated in responses to tissue injury and pro-fibrotic processes, for the treatment of IPF. It is developing oral incretins for potential combination therapy with GLP-1R or amylin candidates.
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.
