Eli Lilly announced agreements to acquire three vaccine development companies in deals that together involve around US$3.8 billion. The acquisitions take place in a context of evidence that links common infections to diseases that can appear years later, such as neurological problems, cancer and infertility, the North American pharmaceutical company said in a statement released this Tuesday, 26.
Curevo was one of the acquisitions and its main product candidate is amezosvatein, a vaccine for the prevention of shingles in adults. While the current standard of care for shingles prevention is effective, tolerability challenges may limit overall vaccination rates and contribute to second dose hesitancy, leaving a significant portion of patients with reduced or no protection, according to Eli Lilly.
Curevo shareholders will be able to receive up to US$1.5 billion in cash, including an initial payment and subsequent payments after meeting a specific target.
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LimmaTech Biologics, another acquired company, has LTB-SA7 as its main program, which is in Phase 1 of development as a vaccine against S. aureus, the main cause of infection in surgical centers. Eli Lilly said this purchase will involve up to $780 million in cash, including an initial payment and potential additional payments against certain clinical and regulatory milestones.
The third acquisition was the Vaccine Company for a value of up to US$1.55 billion. The company develops proprietary in vivo nanoparticle (IVN) technologies designed to enable antigen presentation, known to induce long-lasting immune responses associated with virus-like particle vaccines. The main program applies this technology to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
“In light of growing evidence linking EBV to multiple sclerosis and several malignancies, a prophylactic vaccine could prevent not only acute infectious mononucleosis, but also the long-term neurological and oncological consequences that may arise after infection,” according to Ei Lilly.
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At around 2:37 pm (Brasília time), Eli Lilly shares rose 1.3% on the New York Stock Exchange.
