As the most active biopharma acquirer of 2026, Eli Lilly and Co. offered to buy three vaccine companies for up to $3.8 billion combined, while it simultaneously released positive early clinical results of a gene editing medicine brought into the fold last year through its buyout of Verve Therapeutics Inc. Indianapolis-based Lilly plans to pay up to $1.5 billion for Curevo Vaccine, of Seattle; up to $780 million for Limmatech Biologics AG, of Zurich; and up to $1.55 billion for Vaccine Company Inc., of Bethesda, Md. Prior to the latest focus on vaccine companies, Lilly acquired gene editing company Verve for $1.3 billion in 2025. Phase Ib data from the Heart-2 trial of PCSK9 base editor VERVE-102 for cardiovascular diseases offer Lilly an early success in the field.

Medtronic strengthens pain portfolio with $650M SPR Therapeutics buy

Medtronic plc is strengthening its pain management portfolio with its $650 million move to buy SPR Therapeutics Inc and bring the company’s peripheral nerve stimulation system for sustained pain relief into its neuromodulation offering. The deal marks Medtronic's third tuck-in deal so far this year, following its $585 million purchase of Cathworks Ltd. and $550 million acquisition of Scientia Vascular Inc., and is also a sign of the momentum in M&A activity in the medtech sector with other players making strategic acquisitions.

Vaccine development underway targeting Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak

Less than two weeks after the outbreak was officially declared, animal studies of a newly designed vaccine against the Bundibugyo Ebola virus are now underway in the U.S. and U.K., and the Serum Institute of India is standing ready to manufacture the vaccine for clinical trials. If the animal tests are positive, the vaccine will be ready for field trials in two to three months. At the same time, the protocol for an adaptive trial to assess the effectiveness of antivirals has been agreed, and two drugs are lined up to be tested in the field start as soon as there is approval from regulators in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, where the infection is spreading.

IBD drug development push continues across multiple fronts

Despite varied treatments for inflammatory bowel disease, efforts to come up with safe, effective – and better – drugs continue, as news of maturing pipelines continues to pour out. Competition is especially vigorous in ulcerative colitis, where phase III contenders include Abivax SA, Merck & Co. Inc., Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. (with Johnson & Johnson), Roche AG, and Sanofi SA (with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.). At least half a dozen other concerns are testing midstage prospects. Among the companies to catch the attention of Wall Street is Equillium Inc. with aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist EQ-504.

Researchers identify innate immune barrier against melanoma

Australian researchers have identified a previously overlooked population of immune cells in the skin that physically restrain melanoma growth by engulfing live melanoma cells, and the discovery could reshape thinking around macrophage-targeted cancer therapies and innate immunity in oncology. In a study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney showed that a subset of tissue-resident macrophages marked by the protein CD169 surround melanoma lesions and actively suppress tumor growth in mouse models.

VRBPAC to consider next iteration of COVID-19 vaccines

What would normally be a routine meeting of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) Thursday may be more carefully watched given the overall turmoil surrounding vaccines in the U.S. The only task before the adcom will be to recommend the COVID-19 vaccine formula for the upcoming season. That conversation will include looking at the effectiveness of the four FDA-approved vaccines currently in use in the U.S.

Ongoing coverage of the Ebola outbreak

Stay up to date as BioWorld reports on the latest developments of the Ebola virus public health emergency.

Holiday notice

BioWorld's offices were closed in observance of Memorial Day in the U.S. No issue was published Monday, May 25.

Also in the news

20/20 Biolabs, 858, A2 Biotherapeutics, Abbvie, AC Immune, Agendia, Agenus, Agios, Aktis, Ascentage, Assembly, Astellas, Astrazeneca, Aulos, Bicara, Biogen, Biontech, Black, Blossomhill, Boehringer, Daiichi, Denali, Eli Lilly, Fulgent, Gilead, HCW, Immuneering, Inovio, Jupiter, Kelun-Biotech, Lupin, Merck, Nanobiotix, Nervgen, Novo, Nuvalent, Olema, OSE, Regeneron, Remix, Rgenta, Sapience, Skape, Sobi, Storm, Synakis, Teva, Yabao, Zentalis