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Lilly to Buy Merida for $2.88 Billion in Autoimmune Push

Eli Lilly & Co. plans to buy Merida Biosciences Inc. for as much as $2.88 billion in cash to expand in autoimmune and allergic diseases, part of an effort to build beyond the weight-loss and diabetes markets that made it the largest pharmaceutical company in the world. Lilly has been on a record spending spree, having announced more than $20 billion in deals so far in 2026. The drugmaker has been…

Bloomberg reports that Eli Lilly & Co. is set to acquire Merida Biosciences Inc. for up to $2.88 billion in cash, signaling the company's expansion into the autoimmune and allergic diseases sector. This move is part of Lilly's broader strategy to diversify beyond its successful weight-loss and diabetes markets, aiming to develop the next blockbuster medicine.

The acquisition comes as Lilly has been aggressively expanding its pipeline through a series of record-breaking deals totaling over $20 billion in 2026, leveraging the revenue from its Zepbound and Mounjaro drugs to fuel these strategic investments.

Brief written by urgent.news from Bloomberg's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

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