GW Pharmaceutical's Epidiolex Has Relatively Low Bar for Success

On Tuesday, Leerink reiterated an Outperform rating on

and $79 price target. Analyst Joseph Schwartz believes the “bar for success is relatively low” for upcoming Epidiolex data, based on the review of epilepsy trials. Schwartz went on to explain that 20 to 50 percent reduction in seizures versus placebo is generally good enough to approve add-on treatments. In the second half of 2014, the company will start placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study followed by studies in Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome in 2015. Shares closed up 1.5 percent to $66.19 in Tuesday's trading.