Eli Lilly Buys 3 Vaccine Companies in $3.8 Billion Deal to Expand Infectious Disease Push

Eli Lilly has announced agreements to acquire three vaccine-focused biotech companies in deals worth up to $3.83 billion, expanding the drugmaker’s infectious disease portfolio.

The company said on May 26 it will acquire Washington state-based Curevo, Swiss biotech LimmaTech Biologics, and Maryland-based Vaccine Company, with all three deals including an upfront payment and milestone payments.

Lilly said the acquisitions are part of a broader strategy to focus on disease prevention, particularly infections increasingly linked to long-term neurological, oncological and chronic health conditions.

Daniel Skovronsky, Lilly’s chief scientific and product officer, said growing evidence links common infections to diseases that emerge years later.

This includes neurological disease, cancer, and infertility, he said, adding that antimicrobial resistance is making bacterial infections increasingly difficult to treat.

“Combining these companies’ platforms and teams with Lilly’s global scale positions us to change that trajectory,” Skvorosnky said.

Shingles Vaccine

The acquisition deal of Curevo was valued at up to $1.5 billion. The company’s lead vaccine candidate, amezosvatein, is designed to prevent shingles in adults.

The vaccine is currently Phase 3-ready after a Phase 2 clinical trial comparing it with the current standard treatment.

Lilly said the vaccine reduced side effects such as fatigue, chills and injection-site pain “by more than half” while matching immune responses across primary endpoints.

The company said a better-tolerated shingles vaccine could improve vaccination rates among older adults, particularly because second-dose hesitancy remains a challenge with current vaccines.

“There is a growing body of evidence linking protection from shingles to lowered risk of stroke and dementia,” Skovronsky said in Curevo’s separate May 26 statement.

George Simeon, chief executive officer of Curevo, said Lilly’s global development and manufacturing capabilities would help accelerate the vaccine’s development.

Antibiotic Resistance, Epstein-Barr Vaccines

Lilly agreed to acquire LimmaTech for up to $780 million, including milestone payments tied to regulatory and clinical progress.

The Swiss biotech’s CEO Franz-Werner Haas said in a May 26 statement that joining Lilly would help the company accelerate development of its vaccine for bacterial infections.

LimmaTech’s lead vaccine LTB-SA7, is currently in Phase 1 testing for Staphylococcus aureus, which Lilly described as the leading cause of surgical-site infections.

The company’s research also focuses on infections linked to infertility and long-term reproductive complications that disproportionately affect women.

The third acquisition involves Vaccine Company Inc., which Lilly will acquire for up to $1.55 billion, including commercial and clinical milestone payments.

The privately held biotechnology company is developing nanoparticle vaccine technology. Its lead program targets Epstein-Barr virus, or EBV, through a five-antigen vaccine candidate that is ready for Phase 1 testing.

Lilly said evidence increasingly links EBV infections to multiple sclerosis and several cancers, raising interest in preventive vaccines.

“Epstein-Barr virus is among the most prevalent human viruses in the world, yet we do not yet have a vaccine against it,” Skovronsky said.

The acquisitions broaden Lilly’s business beyond its recent focus on obesity, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease therapies.