Eli Lilly to acquire Versanis in deal worth over $1.9bn
Phase 2Acquisition
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Source: PMLiVE
Eli Lilly has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Versanis for over $1.9bn, marking a significant boost to its cardiometabolic disease pipeline.
The deal gives Lilly access to Versanis' lead asset, bimagrumab, a monoclonal antibody currently being assessed in a mid-stage trial as both a monotherapy and in combination with Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide in adults who are overweight or obese.
Semaglutide belongs to a class of drugs known as incretins and is already available in major markets for weight management under the brand names Wegovy and Rybelsus. The drug suppresses patients’ appetites by mimicking an intestinal hormone called GLP-1, which is released after eating.
Meanwhile, Versanis’ bimagrumab acts directly on fat cells without reducing appetite or prompting lean mass loss.
"Combining incretins with bimagrumab has the potential to further reduce fat mass while preserving muscle mass and may lead to better outcomes for people living with obesity and obesity-related complications,” Lilly outlined.
Ruth Gimeno, group vice president, diabetes, obesity, and cardiometabolic research at Lilly, said: "By unifying the knowledge and expertise in incretin biology at Lilly with the deep understanding of activin biology at Versanis, we aim to harness the potential benefits of such combinations for patients."
Under the terms of the agreement, Versanis shareholders could receive up to $1.925bn in cash, inclusive of an upfront payment and subsequent payments upon achievement of certain development and sales milestones.
Mark Pruzanski, Versanis chairman and chief executive officer, added: "It has been a privilege for our team to advance bimagrumab to address one of the greatest health crises of our time.
"As a global leader developing life-changing medicines, Lilly is ideally positioned to realise the potential of bimagrumab in combination with its incretin therapies to benefit people living with cardiometabolic diseases.”
The deal comes less than a month after Lilly said it would be acquiring Dice Therapeutics for approximately $2.4bn in a bid to expand its immunology pipeline.
Under the deal, Lilly will gain access to the biopharma’s lead candidate, DC-806, an oral small-molecule inhibitor of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-17 currently in phase 2 development for psoriasis.
Lilly is also set to acquire Sigilon Therapeutics, a biopharma focused on developing functional cures for acute and chronic diseases, for over $300m.
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