WEDNESDAY, June 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Drugmaker Eli Lilly plans to buy Verve Therapeutics, a gene-editing startup, for about $1 billion upfront.

The deal gives Lilly a potential new treatment for heart disease, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The deal, announced June 17, includes a cash offer of $10.50 per share for all outstanding Verve stock. Lilly may also pay as much as $300 million more if Verve’s top drug hits certain research milestones. That would bring the total deal to $1.3 billion, The WSJ reported.

Verve’s board has agreed to the sale and recommends shareholders support the decision. The deal is expected to close by the third quarter of this year.

Verve is developing a new class of gene-editing drugs that could be given just once to treat chronic conditions. Its top drug — Verve-102 — is designed to target a gene called PCSK9, which is associated with heart health and cholesterol levels.

The treatment is being tested in a Phase 1b clinical trial and has received fast-track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), The WSJ added.

“Verve-102 has the potential to be the first in vivo gene editing therapy for broad patient populations and could shift the treatment paradigm for cardiovascular disease from chronic care to one-and-done treatment,” Ruth Gimeno, Lilly’s vice president of metabolic and diabetes drug development, said.

If the drug passes early trials and moves into a Phase 3 trial, Verve shareholders will receive an additional $3 per share. That payout would happen if the first patient receives the treatment within 10 years of the deal closing.

Verve’s co-founder and CEO, Dr. Sekar Kathiresan, said the company was created with a bold goal: to change how heart disease is treated.

“In just seven years, our team has progressed three in vivo gene editing products, with two currently in the clinic,” he told The WSJ. “Now, we will take the next steps in the drug development journey together with an ideal strategic partner in Lilly.”

More information

Learn more about Verve Therapeutics.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal, June 17, 2025

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