Vaccine Company announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Eli Lilly and Company in a deal valued at up to $1.55 billion, including upfront and milestone-based payments. The acquisition is intended to accelerate the development of Vaccine Company’s next-generation vaccine platform and pipeline targeting Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and other infectious diseases.
The lead asset in Vaccine Company’s pipeline is a Phase 1-ready EBV vaccine candidate designed to prevent infectious mononucleosis and potentially reduce the risk of long-term diseases associated with EBV infection, including multiple sclerosis and certain cancers.
Vaccine Company’s proprietary In Vivo Nanoparticle (IVN) technology platform is designed to generate durable immune responses associated with virus-like particle vaccines while avoiding the manufacturing complexities traditionally linked to VLP production. The company’s broader preclinical pipeline spans multiple viral pathogens and applies multivalent antigen engineering approaches to infectious disease prevention.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly will acquire Vaccine Company, with equity holders eligible to receive up to $1.55 billion in cash through upfront consideration and additional payments tied to specified clinical and commercial milestones.
Vaccine Company was founded in 2022 by ARCH Venture Partners, with co-founding investment from Luma Group. Additional backing came from Pfizer Ventures, Wellcome Trust, Lilly Ventures, and Global Health Investment Corporation.
The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions, including expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our pipeline of programs, coupled with our proprietary In Vivo Nanoparticle (IVN) technologies, have the potential for global impact. Together with Lilly, we will be positioned to advance our science, move programs through development, and ultimately deliver vaccines to people around the world.”
Susan Silbermann, MBA, MA, Chief Executive Officer, Vaccine Company
“Epstein-Barr virus is among the most prevalent human viruses in the world, yet we do not yet have a vaccine against it. Vaccine Company has built a platform we believe may be capable of changing that. The case for prevention extends well beyond infectious mononucleosis itself, evidence now links EBV to multiple sclerosis and several malignancies and interrupting that chain earlier could meaningfully reduce the long-term burden of these diseases.”
Daniel M. Skovronsky, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific And Product Officer And President, Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company
