On October 31, 2023, Verve Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering a new approach to the care of cardiovascular disease with single-course gene editing medicines, announced the expansion of its relationship with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) to include Verve’s in vivo gene editing programs targeting PCSK9 and ANGPTL3. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati advised Verve Therapeutics on IP matters related to the transaction.

Lilly has acquired from Beam Therapeutics certain product rights to Verve’s cardiovascular in vivo gene editing programs targeting PCSK9 and ANGPTL3, as well as a third undisclosed cardiovascular disease (CVD) target. Verve’s PCSK9 product candidates, VERVE-101 and VERVE-102, and ANGPTL3 product candidate, VERVE-201, are designed to potently and durably lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol throughout the lifetime of patients with or at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), the most common form of CVD.

For the PCSK9 and ANGPTL3 product candidates, Lilly now holds the product rights previously held by Beam, including the right to opt-in to share 33 percent of worldwide development expenses and to jointly commercialize and share profits and expenses related to commercialization in the United States on a 50/50 basis. Verve holds all product rights for the PCSK9 and ANGPTL3 programs outside the United States. Under the collaboration agreement, Verve retains control of the development and commercialization of all collaboration products.

The Wilson Sonsini team that advised Verve on IP matters related to the transaction includes Vern Norviel, Clark Lin, Ying Chen, and Sherrie Holdman.

For more information, please see Verve’s news release.