Lilly to Buy LimmaTech in Push into Next-Gen Vaccines for Hard-to-Treat Bacterial Infections

CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, Eli Lilly, Business Wire, and Bloomberg contributed to this report.

Eli Lilly has struck a deal to acquire Swiss biotech LimmaTech Biologics, a move that expands the drugmaker’s growing interest in infectious disease and vaccine development.

LimmaTech is developing a self-adjuvanting, multi-antigen vaccine platform aimed at bacterial infections that are increasingly difficult to prevent and treat. Its lead candidate, LTB-SA7, is in Phase 1 testing as a vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus – a major cause of surgical-site infections and one of the toughest bacterial threats to control.

The company is also working on vaccine programs for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis, two pathogens tied to rising antimicrobial resistance and long-term complications, including infertility. LimmaTech says its approach is built to trigger broader, longer-lasting immune protection by targeting toxins and superantigens that drive disease.

“Joining Lilly is a powerful next chapter for our science and our team,” LimmaTech CEO Franz-Werner Haas said.

He added that Lilly’s global development scale and manufacturing capacity should help speed up the staph vaccine and move its gonorrhea and chlamydia work forward.

Lilly said the acquisition fits its strategy of preventing disease before it takes hold. Daniel M. Skovronsky, Lilly’s chief scientific and product officer, said S. aureus is among the hardest bacterial pathogens to prevent, and that LimmaTech’s science could help fill a widening gap as antibiotic resistance reduces treatment options.

Under the deal, Lilly will pay up to $780 million in cash for LimmaTech, including upfront money and potential milestone payments tied to clinical and regulatory progress.

The transaction is part of a broader Lilly push into infectious disease research, alongside separate deals for Curevo and Vaccine Company. Together, the three acquisitions mark a notable expansion beyond the company’s best-known diabetes and obesity franchises.