Stifel analyst Annabel Samimy said Novartis' (NVS) agreement to buy Takeda's (TAK) dry eye product Xiidra for $3.4B upfront in cash and up to an additional $1.9B in potential milestone payments "clearly frames the value for innovative ophthalmologic assets" and makes shares of Aerie Pharmaceuticals (AERI) "look like a steal." Applying the same peak sales multiple that Novartis paid for Xiidra implies a market-value of greater than $6B for Aerie, said Samimy, who noted that she does not expect an immediate takeout of Aerie but remains a buyer of the shares.