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.NVO Cuts Wegovy’s Price Following Similar Move by LLYNovo 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.BAYRY Reports Q4 Earnings Decline, Issues Guidance for 2025Bayer’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 Buys Rights to Obesity CandidateAbbVie 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.FDA Accepts Roche’s Gazyva sBLA for Lupus NephritisThe 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 Ends Phase III Study on Depression CandidateJ&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  Large Cap Pharmaceuticals Industry 5YR % ReturnHere’s how the eight major stocks performed in the previous five trading sessions.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchIn 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)What's Next in the Pharma World?Watch this space for regular pipeline and regulatory updates next week.Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2025Hurry – you can still get in early on our 10 top tickers for 2025. Handpicked by Zacks Director of Research Sheraz Mian, this portfolio has been stunningly and consistently successful. From inception in 2012 through November, 2024, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks gained +2,112.6%, more than QUADRUPLING the S&P 500’s +475.6%. Sheraz has combed through 4,400 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and handpicked the best 10 to buy and hold in 2025. You can still be among the first to see these just-released stocks with enormous potential. See New Top 10 Stocks >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Roche Holding AG (RHHBY): Free Stock Analysis Report Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): Free Stock Analysis Report Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO): Free Stock Analysis Report Bayer Aktiengesellschaft (BAYRY): Free Stock Analysis Report AbbVie Inc. (ABBV): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks