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3 Biotech Stocks That Could Benefit from the Patent Cliff

Authored by Chris Markoch. Originally Published: 4/27/2026.

Biotechnology stocks have seen a spike in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity: in March 2026 alone, there were 10 deals totaling roughly $31.5 billion.

A key driver of this activity is the approaching patent cliff — the period when a drug loses exclusivity and faces biosimilar competition. Analysts forecast the industry could face a roughly $300 billion patent cliff by 2030.

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Two large-cap biopharma companies with best-selling drugs inching toward that cliff are Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) with its blockbuster Keytruda and Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) with Eliquis. Both are quality names that offer investors the relative safety of strong balance sheets and dividends.

That environment creates an opportunity for investors with a higher risk tolerance: small- and mid-cap companies that could become acquisition targets. These firms often develop therapies that shift care from chronic management to potential one-time cures.

Acquirable Assets: Which Biotechs Deserve a Higher Floor

It's common for stocks in a sector to move together, but in biotech the companies with the most upside tend to be those that possess acquirable assets. Investors should look for three characteristics:

1. The underlying science is sufficiently differentiated that a large-cap acquirer cannot quickly replicate it.

2. The company owns its intellectual property.

3. The drug or therapeutic addresses an indication large enough to meaningfully move revenues and earnings for an acquirer.

Many small-cap biotech names don’t meet every criterion, which is one reason this sector can be tricky for investors. Still, there are three companies worth watching — each sits at a different point on the risk/maturity curve.

This is not a prediction that these companies will be acquired. Rather, they check the three boxes above and offer the promise of potential one-time cures for chronic or previously untreatable diseases.

First-Mover Advantage in Gene Editing

Gene editing is a paradigm-shifting opportunity, and CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP) is an established pure play. Unlike many peers, CRSP already has a commercial product: CASGEVY delivered over $100 million in revenue in 2025, and patient initiations have nearly tripled year over year.

CASGEVY treats sickle cell disease (SCD) and beta-thalassemia — large but relatively niche markets. A key growth vector may come from the cardiovascular space: CTX310 is a potential one-and-done candidate to rapidly lower triglyceride and LDL levels.

CTX310 recently delivered positive Phase 1 data — an early but encouraging step toward potential approval.

Analysts are generally bullish on CRSP. Of 19 analysts tracked by MarketBeat, two rate it a Sell, and short interest is around 24% as of this writing. That mix suggests investors may want to scale into positions and use dips to add exposure cautiously.

High-Risk, High-Reward In Vivo Editing

If CRISPR Therapeutics represents the most commercially mature name in the gene-editing space, Intellia Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NTLA) represents a higher-stakes bet. Intellia pioneered in vivo CRISPR editing — making edits directly inside the body rather than performing edits ex vivo — which meaningfully expands the range of treatable diseases.

Intellia's two late-stage candidates are nexiguran ziclumeran (nex-z), developed in partnership with Regeneron for transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR), and lonvoguran ziclumeran (lonvo-z), a wholly owned program targeting hereditary angioedema (HAE). Both target rare, underserved diseases where a one-time functional cure would be a genuine paradigm shift from chronic management.

Key 2026 catalysts include a Phase 3 data readout for lonvo-z in HAE (expected April 27, 2026) and progress restarting and advancing its ATTR cardiomyopathy program after the FDA lifted a clinical hold. Either development could move the stock materially in either direction. NTLA is a volatile, high-risk play but is the purest expression of the in vivo editing thesis.

Precision Gene Editing’s Next Frontier

Where Intellia bets on CRISPR-Cas9, Beam Therapeutics (NASDAQ: BEAM) is pursuing a more precise approach. Its base editing technology acts like a molecular pencil — rewriting a single genetic letter rather than making double-strand cuts — which could address safety concerns that have kept some investors on the sidelines.

Beam's most advanced wholly owned program, BEAM-302, targets alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), a genetic disorder affecting the lungs and liver that currently has no curative treatment.

In March 2026, Beam reported positive updated Phase 1/2 data and said it plans to advance BEAM-302 into pivotal testing in the second half of the year. Its sickle cell program, risto-cel, could see a U.S. approval filing as early as late 2026.

Beam carries more early-stage risk than CRSP and faces nearer-term funding questions given its cash runway. But its differentiated platform and proximity to pivotal data make it a name to monitor for investors willing to assume that risk in exchange for upside from a successful readout or a potential acquisition.