Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (ESPR)

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our condensed financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 and other filings that we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). These forward-looking statements are based on our management’s belief and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements relate to future events, including our marketing strategy, expectations regarding our ability to complete the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, including the timing thereof, the parties’ ability to satisfy the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, the potential effects of the pending Merger on us and the potential to achieve milestones related to contingent payments under the CVR, expectations regarding our ability to continue integrating Corstasis into our business, to commercialize Enbumyst, and to realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition and the prospects associated with Enbumyst, including the potential size of the congestive heart failure market opportunity, clinical development and commercialization plans, or our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, including in relation to our ability to remediate the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, the clinical development, commercialization plans, timing, designs and plans for the CLEAR Outcomes study and its results, plans for potential future product candidates and expectations regarding future transactions to further improve our balance sheet to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements, including in relation to the clinical development, commercialization plans, net sales profitability, growth of our commercial products, clinical activities, commercial development plans, the outcomes and anticipated benefits of legal proceedings and settlements, expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of words such as, but not limited to, “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar terminology. These statements are only predictions. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which are, in some cases, beyond our control and that could materially affect results. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, those referred to or discussed in or incorporated by reference into the section titled “Risk Factors” included in Item 1A of Part II of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties occur, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual events or results may vary significantly from those implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance.

The forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q represent our views as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

Unless the context requires otherwise, we use the terms "Esperion," “we,” “us,” “our,” or the "Company” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to refer to Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.

Overview

Corporate Overview

We are a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company currently focused on bringing new medicines to patients that address unmet medical needs. We have developed and are commercializing U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, approved oral, once-daily, non-statin medicines for patients who are at risk for cardiovascular disease, or CVD, and are struggling with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL-C. Through commercial execution, product acquisitions, international partnerships and collaborations, and advancement of our pre-clinical pipeline, we continue to evolve into a leading global biopharmaceutical company.

Our lead products NEXLETOL® (bempedoic acid) tablets and NEXLIZET® (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablets are oral, once-daily, non-statin medicines indicated to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and coronary revascularization in adults who are unable or unwilling to take recommended statin therapy (including those not taking a statin) with established

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CVD, or at high risk for a CVD event but without established CVD, and to reduce LDL-C in adults with primary hyperlipidemia. Our products were approved by the FDA, the European Commission, or EC (which, with respect to the UK, has been converted to a UK marketing authorization), and Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, or Swissmedic in 2020. The FDA approved expanded indications for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET tablets in March 2024. The EC approved expanded indications for NILEMDO® (bempedoic acid) tablets and NUSTENDI® (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablets in May 2024. Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., or Otsuka, our Japanese collaborator, received approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to market NEXLETOL as a treatment for hypercholesterolemia and familial hypercholesterolemia in September 2025, with National Health Insurance, or NHI, pricing received in the fourth quarter of 2025. We filed supplemental NDAs for product approvals in Canada in November 2024, with NEXLETOL approval in the fourth quarter of 2025 and NEXLIZET approval expected in first half of 2026. Our collaboration partners filed in Israel in March 2025, with expected approval in the first half of 2026, and in Australia in July 2025, with expected approval in the fourth quarter of 2026.

On March 2, 2026, we entered into the Corstasis Merger Agreement with Corstasis, Merger Sub and certain other parties described therein. Pursuant to the Corstasis Merger Agreement, on April 2, 2026, we completed the Corstasis Merger. The aggregate up-front consideration for the Transactions was $75,000,000 in cash, subject to customary adjustments and a post-closing purchase price adjustment. In addition, the equityholders of Corstasis are entitled to receive: (i) milestone payments up to an aggregate amount equal to $180,000,000 if certain regulatory approval or commercial sales milestones are achieved and (ii) royalty and licensing-revenue-derived payments in connection with the Company’s (or its sublicensees’) future sales of certain products. Through this acquisition, the Company has acquired Corstasis, the developer and commercial sponsor of Enbumyst, the first and only FDA-approved nasal spray loop diuretic. Enbumyst received FDA approval in September 2025 for the treatment of edema associated with congestive heart failure, as well as hepatic and renal disease in adults.

On May 1, 2026, we entered into the Merger Agreement with Parent and MergerCo, pursuant to which, subject to the terms and conditions thereof, MergerCo will merge with and into the Company with the Company continuing as the surviving corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, at the Effective Time, each share of the Company Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than shares of Company Common Stock (i) owned by Parent or MergerCo, (ii) owned by the Company as treasury shares or (iii) held by any person who properly exercises appraisal rights under Delaware law), will be converted into the right to receive (A) the Per Share Cash Consideration, plus (B) one contractual contingent value right per share, representing the right to participate in contingent payments in cash, without interest, upon the achievement of certain milestones as set forth in the CVR Agreement, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement and the CVR Agreement. Each CVR will entitle the holder to its pro rata share, in cash, of contingent payments of up to an additional $100,000,000 in the aggregate, without interest and less any applicable tax withholding, upon the achievement of specified milestones during the applicable milestone periods as set forth in the CVR Agreement. Consummation of the Merger is subject to the approval of the Company’s stockholders and other customary closing conditions. The Merger is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.

We were incorporated in Delaware in January 2008, and commenced our operations in April 2008. Since our inception, we have focused substantially all of our efforts and financial resources on developing and commercializing bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe tablet. In February 2020, the FDA approved NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET. NEXLETOL was commercially available in the U.S. on March 30, 2020 and NEXLIZET was commercially available in the U.S. on June 4, 2020. While we began to generate revenue from the sale of our products in 2020, we have funded our operations to date primarily through proceeds from sales of preferred stock, convertible promissory notes and warrants, public offerings of common stock and warrants, the incurrence of indebtedness, through collaborations with third parties and revenue interest and royalty interest purchase agreements. We have incurred losses in each year since our inception.

We have never been profitable. Our net loss was $25.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026. Our net loss was $40.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025. Substantially all of our net losses resulted from costs incurred in connection with research and development programs and selling, general and administrative costs associated with our operations. We expect to incur expenses and operating losses for the immediate future in connection with our ongoing activities, including, among others:

•commercializing NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET in the U.S.; and

•pursuing other research and development activities.

Accordingly, we may need additional financing to support our continuing operations and further the development and commercialization of our products. We may seek to fund our operations and further development activities through collaborations with third parties, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements, permitted debt financings, permitted royalty-based financings, permitted public or private equity offerings or through other sources. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us when needed or on acceptable terms, or at all. Our failure to raise capital as and when needed would have a

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material adverse effect on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy or continue operations. We will need to generate significant revenues to achieve profitability, and we may never do so.

Product Overview

NEXLETOL is a first-in-class ATP Citrate Lyase, or ACLY, inhibitor that lowers LDL-C and cardiovascular risk by reducing cholesterol biosynthesis and up-regulating LDL receptor

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. For a comparison of our results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, see "Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 7, 2025. In addition to historical information, this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors. We discuss factors that we believe could cause or contribute to these differences below and elsewhere in this report, including those set forth under Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and under “Forward-Looking Statements” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Overview

Corporate Overview

We are a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company currently focused on bringing new medicines to patients that address unmet medical needs. We have developed and are commercializing U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, approved oral, once-daily, non-statin medicines for patients who are at risk for cardiovascular disease, or CVD, and are struggling with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL-C. Through commercial execution, international partnerships and collaborations, and advancement of our pre-clinical pipeline, we continue to evolve into a leading global biopharmaceutical company.

Our lead products NEXLETOL® (bempedoic acid) tablets and NEXLIZET® (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablets are oral, once-daily, non-statin medicines indicated to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and coronary revascularization in adults who are unable or unwilling to take recommended statin therapy (including those not taking a statin) with established CVD, or at high risk for a CVD event but without established CVD, and to reduce LDL-C in adults with primary hyperlipidemia. Our products were approved by the FDA, the European Commission, or EC (which, with respect to the UK, has been converted to a UK marketing authorization), and Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, or Swissmedic in 2020. The FDA approved expanded indications for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET tablets in March 2024. The EC approved expanded indications for NILEMDO® (bempedoic acid) tablets and NUSTENDI® (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) tablets in May 2024. Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., or Otsuka, our Japanese collaborator, received approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to market NEXLETOL as a treatment for hypercholesterolemia and familial hypercholesterolemia in September 2025, with National Health Insurance, or NHI, pricing received in the fourth quarter of 2025. We filed supplemental NDAs for product approvals in Canada in November 2024, with NEXLETOL approval in the fourth quarter of 2025 and NEXLIZET approval expected in first half of 2026. Our collaboration partners filed in Israel in March 2025, with expected approval in the first half of 2026, and in Australia in July 2025, with expected approval in the fourth quarter of 2026.

On March 2, 2026, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, or the Merger Agreement, with Corstasis Therapeutics Inc., a Delaware corporation, or Corstasis, and Cirrus Transaction Subsidiary, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Esperion, or the Merger Sub. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, and upon the terms and subject to the conditions thereof, Merger Sub will merge with and into Corstasis, or the Merger, with Corstasis surviving the Merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Esperion. The aggregate up-front consideration for the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement will be an amount in cash equal to $75.0 million, subject to customary adjustments and a post-closing purchase price adjustment, or the Upfront Consideration. In addition to the Upfront Consideration, the equityholders of Corstasis will be entitled to receive: (i) milestone payments up to an aggregate amount equal to $180.0 million in the event certain regulatory approval or commercial sales milestones are achieved and (ii) royalty and licensing-revenue-derived payments in connection with the Company’s (or its sublicensees’) future sales of certain products (collectively, the “Contingent Consideration”). The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026.

We were incorporated in Delaware in January 2008, and commenced our operations in April 2008. Since our inception, we have focused substantially all of our efforts and financial resources on developing and commercializing bempedoic acid and the bempedoic acid / ezetimibe tablet. In February 2020, the FDA approved NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET. NEXLETOL was commercially available in the U.S. on March 30, 2020 and NEXLIZET was commercially available in the U.S. on June 4, 2020. While we began to generate revenue from the sales of our products in 2020, we have funded our operations to date primarily through proceeds from sales of preferred stock, convertible promissory notes and warrants, public offerings of common stock and warrants, the incurrence of indebtedness, through collaborations with third parties, revenue interest and royalty purchase agreements. We have incurred losses in each year since our inception.

We have never been profitable and our net losses were $22.7 million, $51.7 million and 209.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023, respectively. Our net loss for the year ended December 31, 2025 was primarily due to

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interest expense and costs incurred in connection with research and development programs and selling, general and administrative costs associated with our operations, offset partially by the milestone payment from Otsuka and other revenue from our net product sales and collaboration agreements. Our net loss for the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily due to the loss on extinguishment on the Oberland RIPA and convertible notes Exchange Transaction, interest expense and costs incurred in connection with research and development programs and selling, general and administrative costs associated with our operations, offset partially by the settlement agreement, or Settlement Agreement, with Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH, or DSE. and other revenue from our net product sales and collaboration agreements. Substantially all of our net losses for the years ended December 31, 2023 resulted from costs incurred in connection with research and development programs and selling, general and administrative costs associated with our operations. We expect to incur operating losses for the immediate future in connection with our ongoing activities, including, among others:

•commercializing NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET in the U.S; and

•pursuing other research and development activities.

Accordingly, we may need additional financing to support our continuing operations and further the development and commercialization of our products. We may seek to fund our operations and further development activities through collaborations with third parties, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements, permitted debt financings, permitted royalty-based financings, permitted public or private equity offerings or through other sources. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. Our failure to raise capital as and when needed would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy or continue operations. We will need to generate significant revenues to achieve profitability, and we may never do so.

Product Overview

NEXLETOL is a first-in-class ATP Citrate Lyase, or ACLY, inhibitor that lowers LDL-C and cardiovascular risk by reducing cholesterol biosynthesis and up-regulating LDL receptors. Completed Phase 3 studies whose primary endpoint was LDL-C lowering were conducted in more than 3,000 patients, with over 2,000 patients treated with NEXLETOL, and demonstrated an average 18% placebo corrected LDL-C lowering when used in patients on moderate or high-intensity statins. The completed Phase 3 Cholesterol Lowering via Bempedoic acid, an ACL-Inhibiting Regimen (CLEAR) Outcomes trial in patients unwilling or unable to take statins and who had, or were at high risk for, CVD demonstrated on average a 20% placebo corrected LDL-C reduction, and a resulting 13% lower risk of major cardiovascular events versus placebo. NEXLETOL was approved by the FDA in February 2020, with the label expanded to include an indication for cardiovascular risk reduction March 2024, and received a subsequent update to the cardiovascular risk reduction indication in November 2025 to encompass all components of the primary composite endpoint from CLEAR Outcomes.

NEXLIZET contains bempedoic acid and ezetimibe and lowers elevated LDL-C through complementary mechanisms of action by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis in the liver and cholesterol absorption in the intestine. Phase 3 data demonstrated NEXLIZET lowered LDL-C by a mean of 38% compared to placebo when added on to maximally tolerated statins. NEXLIZET was approved by the FDA in February 2020, with the label expanded to include an indication for cardiovascular risk reduction in March 2024, and received a subsequent update to the cardiovascular risk reduction indication in November 2025 to encompass all components of the primary composite endpoint from CLEAR Outcomes.

NILEMDO is a first-in-class ACLY inhibitor that lowers LDL-C and cardiovascular risk by reducing cholesterol biosynthesis and up-regulating the LDL receptors. NILEMDO was approved by the EC in March 2020 for use in adults with primary hypercholesterolemia (heterozygous familial and non-familial) or mixed dyslipidemia, as an adjunct to diet in combination with a statin or statin with other lipid-lowering therapies in patients unable to reach LDL-C goals with the maximum tolerated dose of a statin, or alone or in combination with other lipid-lowering therapies as an adjunct to diet in adult patients who are statin-intolerant, or for whom a statin is contraindicated. In May 2024, the EC approved an expanded indication for NILEMDO to reduce cardiovascular risk in patients with or at high risk for ASCVD.

NUSTENDI contains bempedoic acid and ezetimibe and lowers elevated LDL-C through complementary mechanisms of action by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis in the liver and cholesterol absorption in the intestine. NUSTENDI was approved by the EC in March 2020 for use in adults with primary hypercholesterolemia (heterozygous familial and non-familial) or mixed dyslipidemia, as an adjunct to diet in combination with a statin in adult patients unable to reach LDL-C goals with the maximum tolerated dose of a statin in addition to ezetimibe, alone in patients who are either statin-intolerant or for whom a statin is contraindicated, and are unable to reach LDL-C goals with ezetimibe alone, or as an adjunct to diet in adult patients already being treated with the combination of bempedoic acid and ezetimibe as separate tablets with or without statin. In May

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2024, the EC approved an expanded indication for NUSTENDI to reduce cardiovascular risk in patients with or at high risk for ASCVD.

During the year ended December 31, 2025, we incurred $15.3 million related to ongoing clinical studies, including our pediatric program. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we incurred $6.6 million related to ongoing clinical trials. During the year ended December

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