Analyst: Eli Lilly And Co To Post Key Data Thursday On Autoimmune Drug

Eli Lilly and Co

will release key data Thursday on its prospective autoimmune drug baricitinib that an analyst said will become a market leader with 2023 sales of $2.5 billion. Credit Suisse's Vamil Divan boosted his price target on Lilly about 4 percent Monday to $75. Divan also said AbbVie Inc.

will post interim data on filgotinib autoimmune treatment in July or August Divan said filgotinib might hit 2023 sales of $2.2 billion, and raised his AbbVie target more than 4 percent to $72. The market for drugs aimed at autoimmune disease will grow by a third in ten years and get roiled by a raft of new products, according to Divan. The group of diseases includes rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and a host of other maladies caused by disorders related to the immune system. Orally dosed drugs will have the biggest impact on the autommune market, Divan said. Growth in the market will initially get fueled by current drugs classed as biologic response modifiers and then expand further with new entries in the group made more attractive by new, oral dosing options. Divan raised his target on Johnson & Johnson

about 1 percent to $109, saying its pipeline assets guselkumab and sirukumab will help fend off increasing competition for its established products. Merck & Co., Inc.

looks like an unequivocal looser in the emerging market for autoimmune drugs, and Divan shaved his target on the company by 1.6 percent to $61.