BIOA, GLUE Stocks Clock Worst Day In Years— What’s The NVO Connection?

• Earlier on Friday, Novo Nordisk reported that its experimental drug ziltivekimab failed a major late-stage trial called ZEUS.
• The result raised questions about whether targeting inflammation can meaningfully protect the heart, pressuring companies with related programs.  
• While BioAge’s BGE-102 is in mid-stage trials, MRT-8102 is in an early-stage study.  

Shares of BioAge Labs (BIOA) and Monte Rosa Therapeutics (GLUE) plunged on Friday after Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) late-stage trial setback raised concerns about biotech stocks pursuing similar approaches to treating heart disease through inflammation reduction.  

BIOA tumbled 64%, while GLUE dropped about 27%. BIOA clocked its worst day since December 2024, while GLUE booked its worst day ever.

NVO’s Trial Miss

Earlier on Friday, Novo Nordisk reported that its experimental drug ziltivekimab failed a major late-stage trial called ZEUS. The once-monthly treatment was designed to lower the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and related deaths in patients with heart and kidney problems plus high inflammation. While the drug successfully reduced inflammation markers as expected, it showed no benefit in cutting those major heart events compared with a placebo. The study involved more than 6,300 patients.

Novo said the miss will not change its 2026 profit outlook and that two other trials of the same drug will continue. NVO shares closed 9% lower on Friday.

The result also raised questions about whether targeting inflammation this way can meaningfully protect the heart, pressuring companies with related programs such as BioAge and Monte Rosa. While BioAge’s BGE-102 is in mid-stage trials, MRT-8102 is in an early-stage study.  

Wall Street Weighs In

Analysts weighed in on BioAge, whose lead candidate BGE-102 targets a similar approach as ziltivekimab.

Jefferies cut its price target to $21 from $62 but kept a Buy rating, saying the “outright” failure raises biological risk for a key inflammation marker as a heart-risk signal. The firm still sees potential differentiation for BGE-102, but called its profile harder to predict now.

Citi noted BIOA’s greater-than-60% drop and agreed the data is a negative for BioAge’s heart-disease thesis, yet argued the size of the move “seems overdone” with the company’s enterprise value nearing zero. Citi maintains a Buy rating and $52 price target.

Roth Capital’s Adam Walsh lowered his price target to $25 from $36 while keeping a Buy rating. The firm now sees lower chances that a partner will fund a heart trial for BGE-102 or that it will succeed, but its estimates for the same drug in eye disease stay the same.  The new price targets on BIOA represent a potential upside of 132% to 475% from the stock’s Friday close.

Jefferies also cut its price target on Monte Rosa (GLUE) to $25 from $40, still implying a potential upside of 51% from the last close, and kept a Buy rating. Success in the ZEUS trial would have supported Monte Rosa’s approach to residual inflammation in heart disease with its experimental drug MRT-8102, so the miss is “a setback.” The firm still sees prospects in other indications and other pipeline value drivers.  

How Did Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around BIOA improved from ‘bearish’ to ‘extremely bullish’ over the past 24 hours, while message volume rose from ‘high’ to ‘extremely high levels.’

Meanwhile, sentiment around GLUE stock rose from ‘neutral’ to ‘bullish,’ accompanied by a rise in retail chatter.

A Stocktwits user termed the selloff on Friday as an “oversold play” and voiced hopes for a recovery in the next few days.

While BIOA stock has fallen 32% year-to-date, GLUE stock has gained 5%. 

Read more: TMUS Stock Slips As $300B Deutsche Telekom Merger Talks Reportedly Hit A Roadblock

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