Eli Lilly on Tuesday announced plans to acquire three companies for about $4 billion in cash, with the aim of expanding its research and development operations into the infectious disease field.
The company announced that it has entered into agreements to acquire Curevo, LimmaTech Biologics, and Vaccine Company for $1.5 billion, $780 million, and $1.55 billion, respectively.
Eli Lilly’s stock rose 1.3% in premarket trading on the news.
“These acquisitions reflect an intentional strategy to prevent disease at its source, rather than treating its consequences,” Daniel M. Skovronski, chief scientific and product officer and president, said in a statement.
Curevo is developing a vaccine to prevent shingles in adults, specifically designed with synthetic adjuvants to increase immune system tolerability and reduce side effects.
LimmaTech aims to tackle bacterial pathogens, including sexually transmitted diseases such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis, where antimicrobial resistance is on the rise.
Vaccine companies are developing In Vivo Nanoparticle (IVN) technology, which uses microparticles to safely deliver drugs, genetic material, or diagnostic sensors into living organisms to combat viral pathogens, including Epstein-Barr virus.
