Does Amarin Have a Dark Horse Suitor?

Amarin (NASDAQ: AMRN), a mid-cap pharma company, has long been rumored to be a buyout candidate. The core reason is that the company's prescription omega-3 treatment, Vascepa (icosapent ethyl), hit the mark in a large, placebo-controlled cardiovascular outcomes trial -- a feat no other omega-3 therapy has ever accomplished. In fact, GlaxoSmithKline's competing omega-3 treatment, Lovaza, failed to show a similar cardiovascular benefit in its Ascend trial. 

This novel, orally administered omega-3 pill could thus end up as a key component in the standard of care for patients at risk of cardiovascular disease, despite being on statin therapy. The big deal is that this target market is believed to encompass almost 10 million Americans at present. Even so, this already large patient population could grow significantly over the next decade because of the out-of-control obesity epidemic. So, conservatively speaking, Vascepa should rack up at least $2 billion in annual sales, depending on the scope of the drug's as-of-yet to be determined label for this indication.   

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Source Fool.com