Eli Lilly is strengthening its research and development efforts in infectious diseases through the acquisition of three vaccine developers — Curevo, LimmaTech Biologics, and Vaccine Company.
The pharmaceutical manufacturer announced the acquisitions on Tuesday (May 26) as part of a broader strategy to expand its vaccine portfolio and advance disease prevention efforts. Lilly said infectious diseases continue to be a major source of global morbidity, not only due to their immediate impact but also because of the long-term health complications that can emerge following primary infections.
“These acquisitions reflect a deliberate strategy to prevent disease at its source rather than treat its consequences,” said Daniel M. Skovronsky, chief scientific and product officer, and president, Lilly Research Laboratories.
“Decades of evidence now link common infections to diseases that potentially emerge years later, including neurological disease, cancer and infertility. And as antimicrobial resistance erodes our ability to treat bacterial infections, vaccines are increasingly the only path to prevention. Combining these companies’ platforms and teams with Lilly’s global scale positions us to change that trajectory,” he added.
Curevo’s lead product candidate, amezosvatein, is an adjuvanted subunit vaccine designed to prevent shingles in adults. Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly will acquire Curevo for up to USD 1.5 billion in cash, including an upfront payment and additional milestone-based payments.
LimmaTech Biologics is developing vaccines targeting bacterial pathogens for which growing antimicrobial resistance is steadily closing therapeutic options, including Staphylococcus aureus, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Chlamydia trachomatis. The company’s lead candidate, LTB-SA7, is currently in Phase 1 development as a vaccine against S. aureus, a leading cause of surgical-site infections. Lilly will acquire LimmaTech for up to USD 780 million in cash, including upfront and milestone-based payments linked to clinical and regulatory achievements.
Meanwhile, Vaccine Company is developing proprietary In Vivo Nanoparticle (IVN) technologies aimed at generating durable immune responses associated with virus-like particle vaccines, while avoiding the manufacturing burden of traditional VLP production. Its lead program applies this technology to Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) with a five-antigen Phase 1-ready candidate. Lilly’s acquisition of Vaccine Company could reach up to USD 1.55 billion in cash, including upfront and commercial milestone payments.
