Set Yourself Up for a Strong 2027: 2 Pharmaceutical Stocks to Buy in September

Given that the beginning of 2027 is now less than four months away, it wouldn't be wrong to begin positioning your portfolio for the coming year.

To this end, here's a closer look at two pharmaceutical stocks, each with a handful of developments and/or milestones already lined up that could be -- and should be -- bullish.

CRISPR Therapeutics

When CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP) first won FDA approval for its gene-editing sickle cell disease treatment Casgevy back in late 2023, it was seemingly ready to launch with marketing partner Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Now, nearly three years later, there's still minimal Casgevy revenue being generated, and, technically, no reported generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) revenue from drug sales.

Don't be discouraged, though. It's coming, beginning in earnest next year.

Image source: Getty Images.

The seemingly slow start reflects how Casgevy is administered and when its revenue is officially recorded by CRISPR. See, since each treatment is custom-created for that particular patient, it can take roughly a year to complete the treatment regimen. And that's after a patient has been identified and approved as an eligible candidate for the drug, which can take a while as well.

Moreover, CRISPR Therapeutics doesn't officially book revenue until the entire treatment process is complete and the treatment is billed, with CRISPR's share then collected from Vertex. The whole process can take a while.

It's brewing, though. While it's done CRISPR no fiscal good yet, the $76 million worth of Casgevy revenue that Vertex facilitated in Q2 is a 78% year-over-year improvement and a clear acceleration from Q1's figure of $43 million.

Analysts are looking for this ongoing sales growth to finally start benefiting CRISPR Therapeutics in earnest in 2027, projecting the company's reported revenue to expand from just over $40 million this year to over $156 million next year. That should get investors' attention, making the biopharma company a very real contender.

Viking Therapeutics

The other drugmaker with bullish catalysts in the cards for 2027 is Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX).

Simply put, Viking Therapeutics is entering the crowded GLP-1 weight-loss drug market, but with a twist. Rather than the weekly injections that more familiar options like Eli Lilly's Zepbound and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy require, Viking's VK2735 shows strong promise as a more convenient monthly maintenance injection. The company also expects to begin late-stage trials of the same weight-loss drug in an orally administered pill format before the end of this year.

VK2735 has not been approved by any regulatory body in any form yet, to be clear. But that's somewhat the point -- its clinical trial results thus far have been encouraging, setting the stage for more good news in the year ahead as the company posts developmental progress for the GLP-1 weight loss drug. The fact that shares have been in a lethargic funk for nearly a year now only bolsters their potential upside as that news moves VK2735 closer to what are hopefully multiple approvals.

Analysts are on board anyway. Nearly all of them covering this stock currently rate VKTX a strong buy, with a consensus 12-month price target of $93.11, which is 175% above the ticker's present price.

James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool recommends CRISPR Therapeutics and Viking Therapeutics. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.