Morgan Stanley analyst Thibault Boutherin and team cut Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO; Copenhagen: NOVO-B) to Underweight from Equal-weight on Friday September 11, 2026, with a DKK 250 price target implying more than 10% downside from current levels. The downgrade thesis: Novo's current valuation does not fully reflect the subdued mid-term growth outlook or the semaglutide patent-cliff implications on the company's terminal value. Semaglutide is expected to account for approximately 75% of Novo's 2026 sales; loss of exclusivity begins in 2031 across major markets. Morgan Stanley also flagged weaker momentum in U.S. Wegovy pill prescriptions following a stronger first half of 2026. Novo shares closed the week down 2.8% in Copenhagen at DKK 278.2 and 3.1% in Frankfurt at EUR 36.89. HSBC on Wednesday September 9 had raised its price target to DKK 320 (from DKK 300) while maintaining a Hold rating, framing the analyst split. Barclays cut its price target to DKK 300 from DKK 310 September 8 following the STEP Young + ziltivekimab HERMES/ATHENA split announcement, and Guggenheim earlier moved its target on Roivant/Pulmovant PHocus success. Novo executed DKK 9.02 billion of the DKK 15 billion share repurchase through September 4.
Amylyx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: AMLX) closed its upsized $500.2 million underwritten public offering as scheduled Friday August 21, 2026. Deal terms: 14,090,000 shares of common stock priced Wednesday August 19 at $35.50 per share, with Leerink Partners, Morgan Stanley, Guggenheim Securities, and LifeSci Capital as joint book-running managers. The offering follows the Monday August 18 Phase 3 LUCIDITY primary endpoint hit for avexitide (exendin 9-39, first-in-class GLP-1 receptor antagonist peptide) that documented a 55% reduction in the composite rate of Level 2 and Level 3 hypoglycemic events (p=0.000003) in post-bariatric hypoglycemia. Use of proceeds: avexitide commercial launch preparation (Q4 2026 NDA submission), broader pipeline advancement including AMX0318 (long-acting follow-on candidate identified with Gubra A/S, IND targeted 2027), and general corporate purposes. Underwriter 30-day option for additional 2,113,500 shares at the same price less underwriting discounts and commissions would bring total raise capacity to roughly $575 million if fully exercised. Amylyx also expanded its board of directors as part of the LUCIDITY-week capital markets round. The $500 million raise provides several years of operational runway to fund the avexitide launch trajectory and the second-generation AMX0318 development program targeting the same GLP-1 receptor antagonist mechanism at a longer-acting dosing format.
Silence Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SLN) announced the closing of its upsized $201.3 million underwritten public offering of American Depositary Shares. Terms: priced August 11 at $13.50 per ADS for 12,962,963 ADSs. The underwriters (Jefferies, Morgan Stanley, Cantor Fitzgerald, and William Blair as joint book-running managers) fully exercised their 30-day option to purchase an additional 1,944,444 ADSs, bringing the total offering to 14,907,407 ADSs and gross proceeds to approximately $201.3 million. The financing follows the August 10 Phase 2 SANRECO trial win in polycythemia vera with divesiran (first-in-class TMPRSS6-targeting siRNA that increases hepcidin production to restrict iron availability to bone marrow) achieving an 88% response rate versus 19% on placebo (P<0.0001, 69% placebo-adjusted response rate) in 48 phlebotomy-dependent patients over 36 weeks. Use of proceeds: advance divesiran into Phase 3 (planned initiation H1 2027 evaluating Q12W dosing versus placebo) plus broader pipeline progression including hepatic-target GalNAc-conjugated siRNA portfolio across TMPRSS6, complement component 3 (SLN-124/SLN-501), and other liver-targeted RNAi candidates. Divesiran has FDA Fast Track and Orphan Drug designations for polycythemia vera.
Silence Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SLN) closed its upsized $175 million underwritten public offering of American Depositary Shares (ADSs) following the August 10, 2026 Phase 2 SANRECO trial win in polycythemia vera. Trial anchor: divesiran achieved 88% response versus 19% on placebo (P<0.0001, 69% placebo-adjusted response rate) in 48 phlebotomy-dependent patients over 36 weeks. Offering mechanics: priced August 11 at $13.50 per ADS for 12,962,963 ADSs. The underwriters (Jefferies, Morgan Stanley, Cantor Fitzgerald, and William Blair as joint book-running managers) fully exercised their 30-day overallotment option for an additional 1,944,444 ADSs, bringing the total offering to 14,907,407 ADSs and gross proceeds to approximately $175 million. The financing provides the capital to advance divesiran into Phase 3 (planned initiation H1 2027) plus broader pipeline progression including the GalNAc-conjugated hepatic-target siRNA portfolio across TMPRSS6, complement component 3 (SLN-124/SLN-501), and other hepatic and extrahepatic targets. Divesiran has FDA Fast Track and Orphan Drug designations for polycythemia vera; the transferable-voucher secondary market and the recently completed Arrowhead $215 million Priority Review Voucher purchase provide comparable references for the broader siRNA regulatory-instrument landscape.