Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly has reinforced its presence in immunology and oncology by announcing two major deals: the acquisition of Orna Therapeutics and a large-scale strategic alliance with Innovent Biologics. These moves underscore the company’s focus on prioritizing next-generation technology platforms.
Acquisition of Orna Therapeutics and Circular RNA Technology Lilly has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Orna Therapeutics, a pioneer in in vivo immune-cell engineering. Unlike traditional methods that require external cell manipulation, Orna’s technology utilizes engineered circular RNA paired with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to enable the patient’s body to generate its own therapeutic cells.
The centerpiece of this acquisition is the ORN-252 program, a therapy targeting B cell-driven autoimmune diseases. The deal is valued at up to $2.4 billion, including an upfront payment and milestones tied to clinical development. This approach is expected to lower costs and simplify logistics compared to existing cell therapies.
Strategic Collaboration with Innovent Biologics Simultaneously, Lilly signed its seventh collaboration agreement with China-based Innovent Biologics. Under this model, Innovent will lead discovery and clinical proof-of-concept efforts within China, leveraging its proprietary antibody platforms.
In return, Lilly gains exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the resulting medicines globally, excluding Greater China. The collaboration has a potential total value of approximately $8.5 billion, starting with a $350 million upfront payment to Innovent, followed by milestone-based incentives and tiered royalties on future sales.