So, I did a bad thing. I stress-ate half my kid’s Easter candy on the way to church. A chocolate bunny, two bags of jelly beans, and at least three Reese’s eggs later, my wife shut it down. 

Thankfully, for candy addicts like myself, Verve Therapeutics just came through with some news that should make me feel a little better about my cholesterol intake going forward.  

This week, Verve’s stock jumped 40% after releasing early trial results for its experimental cholesterol-lowering drug, VERVE-102 (real creative). But this isn’t your standard pill or weekly injection. We’re talking about a one-time gene-editing treatment that could permanently reduce bad cholesterol. Yeah… some Jurassic World sounding stuff.

Verve’s treatment targets a gene called PCSK9, which plays a big role in controlling LDL cholesterol (the bad kind). By switching this gene off, the body can clear cholesterol much more efficiently. In their early trial… just 14 patients so far… people who got the highest dose of VERVE-102 saw their LDL drop an average of 53%. One person even saw a 69% drop. And perhaps the most important part…  There were no serious side effects. No liver issues. No blood problems. Just solid, clean results.

CEO Sekar Kathiresan put it simply: This could be a game-changing one-and-done treatment. In other words, instead of taking pills for life, you could edit your DNA once and be done with cholesterol worries forever.

Investors and analysts wasted no time reacting to the news. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded the stock to a “Buy.” Jefferies gave it a $28 price target. Guggenheim increased its estimate of the drug’s chances of success from 60% to 75%. And Canaccord raised its target to $39, calling the results a home run. That’s a lot of love for a company that hasn’t even started its Phase 2 trials yet.

See, right now, people with high cholesterol often need regular shots or pills… like Repatha or Leqvio. Those drugs work, but they’re ongoing treatments. Verve’s pitch is a single treatment that could last a lifetime. That kind of convenience, if it works, could totally transform the market.

There’s also a potential partnership with Eli Lilly on the table. Lilly has the option to jump in and co-develop and sell this treatment in the U.S. They’ll decide by the end of the year. If they say yes, expect even more investor excitement.

And financially Verve is in a really good place. The company has $524 million in the bank, which should last through 2027… plenty of time to finish Phase 2 trials without having to raise more money.

The bottom line here is that it is still an early-stage biotech, and things could go sideways… that’s always a risk in this space. But right now, Verve has a rare trifecta: strong early results, a clean safety profile, and a growing crowd of bullish analysts. If they keep delivering, this stock might be just getting started.

Stocks.News has positions in Verve and Eli Lilly.