Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Lilly's Verzenio Wins FDA Nod for First Line Breast Cancer

Read MoreHide Full Article

Eli Lilly and Company (LLY - Free Report) announced that its new advanced breast cancer treatment Verzenio (abemaciclib) has gained FDA approval in first-line setting.

With the latest approval, Verzenio is approved in combination with an aromatase inhibitor (AI -either anastrozole or letrozole) as initial endocrine-based therapy in postmenopausal women with HR+, HER2- advanced/metastatic breast cancer who have had no prior systemic treatment for the advanced disease.

Lilly’s shares have declined 5% this year so far while the industry recorded an increase of 0.8%.

The approval was based on positive interim results from MONARCH 3 study. The study compared Verzenio, a CDK 4/6 inhibitor, plus an AI versus an AI plus placebo in the above mentioned patients. Data from the study showed that Verzenio plus an AI substantially reduced tumor size and delayed disease progression in such patients

Verzenio is already marketed for two breast cancer indications - as a monotherapy for the treatment of HR+, HER2- advanced breast cancer who had prior endocrine therapy and chemotherapy for metastatic disease; and as a combination therapy with AstraZeneca's (AZN - Free Report) Faslodex (fulvestrant)in HR+, HER2- advanced breast cancer patients who had disease progression following endocrine therapy.

Verzenio was launched in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2017 and generated sales of $21 million in the first quarter of its launch. We believe that Verzenio’s label expansion in the previously untreated breast cancer population would drive sales higher in future quarters. Verzenio is under review in the EU.

Other available CDK4/6 inhibitors in the market include Pfizer, Inc.’s (PFE - Free Report) Ibrance and Novartis (NVS - Free Report) Kisqali.

Lilly carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2018

In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2018?

Last year's 2017 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio produced double-digit winners, including FMC Corp. and VMware which racked up stellar gains of +67.9% and +61%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys.

Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2018 today >>


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) - free report >>

Novartis AG (NVS) - free report >>

Pfizer Inc. (PFE) - free report >>

Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) - free report >>

Published in