United Therapeutics Gets FDA OK For Hypertension

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — United Therapeutics Corp. said Tuesday the Food and Drug Administration has approved Cialis as a hypertension treatment,

The company obtained licensing rights in 2008 to sell the erectile dysfunction drug for the new indication from Eli Lilly & Co. The drug, which is also called tadalafil, will be sold by United Therapeutics under the name Adcirca.

Under the expanded FDA approval, the drug is aimed at improving exercise ability in pulmonary arterial hypertension patients.

Lazard Capital Markets analyst Terence Flynn reaffirmed a "Buy" rating and $98 price target on the stock, citing Adcirca's sales potential. He expects the drug to take market share from competitor Revatio, which uses the same key ingredient as Viagra, made by Pfizer Inc.

Shares of United Therapeutics rose $8.46, or 12.7 percent, to $75 in premarket trading.