Piper upgrades Intra-Cellular on potential in major depressive disorder

Piper Sandler upgraded Intra-Cellular (ITCI) to Overweight from Neutral with a price target of $92, up from $68. The firm says feedback from its survey of 25 psychiatrists was suggestive of a patient and prescription volume footprint for Caplyta as adjunctive treatment for major depressive disorder that is similar to the one that AbbVie (ABBV) is carving out for Vraylar in this setting. Piper now believes Caplyta’s peak sales can approach or exceed $4B. This makes for a “fundamentally more benign risk/reward profile” for Intra-Cellular shares, even when considering the uncertainty associated with Caplyta’s exclusivity runway, the analyst tells investors in a research note.