Esperion’s stock tumbles after disclosing dispute about milestone payment

Shares of Esperion Therapeutics Inc. ESPR plunged about 56% in premarket trading on Thursday, the day after the company told investors that there is a dispute about a million milestone payment for its cholesterol-lowering treatment candidate worth up to $440 million. Esperion said earlier this month that Nexletol reduced the risk of heart attack and other heart issues in people who can’t take statins. The company said in a securities filing that the milestone payment is tied to whether cardiovascular risk reduction data is included in the European label for the pill; however, Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd.’s JP:4568 European…