Top Picks 2021: Esperion Therapeutics (ESPR)

After a frustrating 2020, Esperion Therapeutics (ESPR) is poised for a strong 2021; the firm's new COO, Sheldon Koenig has the “right stuff," asserts biotech expert Jay Silverman of The Medical Technology Stock Letter.

We cannot think of a company that had worse luck. It successfully navigated two cardiovascular drugs, NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe), through the FDA approval process and then saw the launch of the new drugs flounder in the teeth of the COVID-19 pandemic as their sales force was unable to make person-to-person sales calls for most of last year.

The worm appears to have finally turned for Esperion as the recent buyout by AstraZeneca (AZN) of Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) has presented the company with a top free agent with significant experience selling three different cardiovascular drugs at Merck (MRK), Sanofi (SNY), and Portola. 

Esperion recently pounced and hired Sheldon Koenig, a proven leader in the cardiovascular market, as Chief Operating Officer.

Koenig is an accomplished leader in the cardiovascular space and brings over 25 years of leadership roles to ESPR having worked at Merck with Zetia (ezetimbe), Sanofi and their PCSK9 inhibitor Praluent, and Portola selling Andrexxa before Alexion. Importantly, Koenig is intimate with ezetimbe, the second drug in ESPR’s combo tablet NEXLIZET.

Two other trends are working in the Esperion's favor as we enter 2021. The first is European partner, Daichi Sankyo, has begun to gain traction selling both the drugs in Europe. The primary reason is their sales team has previous relationships with prescribers selling other Daichi Snakyo drugs, enabling them to launch to ESPR’s drugs.

The second factor is the expansion of M&A in the biotech-pharma world with ESPR being a prime target with two approved drugs and an underperforming stock price.

There are only so many companies with completely de-risked assets like ESPR with their two FDA approved drugs and full U.S. rights also adds to their economic appeal as the U.S. represents over half of the world’s pharmaceutical sales.

In our view, Esperion Therapeutics has excellent management and, with their new COO, the company is poised for a strong 2021.

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After a frustrating 2020, Esperion Therapeutics (ESPR) is poised for a strong 2021; the firm's new COO, Sheldon Koenig has the “right stuff," asserts biotech expert Jay Silverman of The Medical Technology Stock Letter.

See also: Top Picks 2021: ManpowerGroup (MAN)

We cannot think of a company that had worse luck. It successfully navigated two cardiovascular drugs, NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe), through the FDA approval process and then saw the launch of the new drugs flounder in the teeth of the COVID-19 pandemic as their sales force was unable to make person-to-person sales calls for most of last year.

The worm appears to have finally turned for Esperion as the recent buyout by AstraZeneca (AZN) of Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) has presented the company with a top free agent with significant experience selling three different cardiovascular drugs at Merck (MRK), Sanofi (SNY), and Portola. 

Esperion recently pounced and hired Sheldon Koenig, a proven leader in the cardiovascular market, as Chief Operating Officer.

See also: Top Picks 2021: Superior Group of Companies (SGC)

After a frustrating 2020, Esperion Therapeutics (ESPR) is poised for a strong 2021; the firm's new COO, Sheldon Koenig has the “right stuff," asserts biotech expert Jay Silverman of The Medical Technology Stock Letter.

We cannot think of a company that had worse luck. It successfully navigated two cardiovascular drugs, NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe), through the FDA approval process and then saw the launch of the new drugs flounder in the teeth of the COVID-19 pandemic as their sales force was unable to make person-to-person sales calls for most of last year.

The worm appears to have finally turned for Esperion as the recent buyout by AstraZeneca (AZN) of Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) has presented the company with a top free agent with significant experience selling three different cardiovascular drugs at Merck (MRK), Sanofi (SNY), and Portola. 

Esperion recently pounced and hired Sheldon Koenig, a proven leader in the cardiovascular market, as Chief Operating Officer.

Koenig is an accomplished leader in the cardiovascular space and brings over 25 years of leadership roles to ESPR having worked at Merck with Zetia (ezetimbe), Sanofi and their PCSK9 inhibitor Praluent, and Portola selling Andrexxa before Alexion. Importantly, Koenig is intimate with ezetimbe, the second drug in ESPR’s combo tablet NEXLIZET.

Two other trends are working in the Esperion's favor as we enter 2021. The first is European partner, Daichi Sankyo, has begun to gain traction selling both the drugs in Europe. The primary reason is their sales team has previous relationships with prescribers selling other Daichi Snakyo drugs, enabling them to launch to ESPR’s drugs.

The second factor is the expansion of M&A in the biotech-pharma world with ESPR being a prime target with two approved drugs and an underperforming stock price.

There are only so many companies with completely de-risked assets like ESPR with their two FDA approved drugs and full U.S. rights also adds to their economic appeal as the U.S. represents over half of the world’s pharmaceutical sales.

In our view, Esperion Therapeutics has excellent management and, with their new COO, the company is poised for a strong 2021.

Subscribe to The Medical Technology Stock Letter here…After a frustrating 2020, Esperion Therapeutics (ESPR) is poised for a strong 2021; the firm's new COO, Sheldon Koenig has the “right stuff," asserts biotech expert Jay Silverman of The Medical Technology Stock Letter.

See also: Top Picks 2021: ManpowerGroup (MAN)

We cannot think of a company that had worse luck. It successfully navigated two cardiovascular drugs, NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe), through the FDA approval process and then saw the launch of the new drugs flounder in the teeth of the COVID-19 pandemic as their sales force was unable to make person-to-person sales calls for most of last year.

The worm appears to have finally turned for Esperion as the recent buyout by AstraZeneca (AZN) of Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) has presented the company with a top free agent with significant experience selling three different cardiovascular drugs at Merck (MRK), Sanofi (SNY), and Portola. 

Esperion recently pounced and hired Sheldon Koenig, a proven leader in the cardiovascular market, as Chief Operating Officer.

See also: Top Picks 2021: Superior Group of Companies (SGC)

After a frustrating 2020, Esperion Therapeutics (ESPR) is poised for a strong 2021; the firm's new COO, Sheldon Koenig has the “right stuff," asserts biotech expert Jay Silverman of The Medical Technology Stock Letter.

We cannot think of a company that had worse luck. It successfully navigated two cardiovascular drugs, NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe), through the FDA approval process and then saw the launch of the new drugs flounder in the teeth of the COVID-19 pandemic as their sales force was unable to make person-to-person sales calls for most of last year.

The worm appears to have finally turned for Esperion as the recent buyout by AstraZeneca (AZN) of Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) has presented the company with a top free agent with significant experience selling three different cardiovascular drugs at Merck (MRK), Sanofi (SNY), and Portola. 

Esperion recently pounced and hired Sheldon Koenig, a proven leader in the cardiovascular market, as Chief Operating Officer.

Koenig is an accomplished leader in the cardiovascular space and brings over 25 years of leadership roles to ESPR having worked at Merck with Zetia (ezetimbe), Sanofi and their PCSK9 inhibitor Praluent, and Portola selling Andrexxa before Alexion. Importantly, Koenig is intimate with ezetimbe, the second drug in ESPR’s combo tablet NEXLIZET.

Two other trends are working in the Esperion's favor as we enter 2021. The first is European partner, Daichi Sankyo, has begun to gain traction selling both the drugs in Europe. The primary reason is their sales team has previous relationships with prescribers selling other Daichi Snakyo drugs, enabling them to launch to ESPR’s drugs.

The second factor is the expansion of M&A in the biotech-pharma world with ESPR being a prime target with two approved drugs and an underperforming stock price.

There are only so many companies with completely de-risked assets like ESPR with their two FDA approved drugs and full U.S. rights also adds to their economic appeal as the U.S. represents over half of the world’s pharmaceutical sales.

In our view, Esperion Therapeutics has excellent management and, with their new COO, the company is poised for a strong 2021.

Subscribe to The Medical Technology Stock Letter here…