Eli Lilly Tops $20B in 2026 Acquisitions, Betting AI Compresses Drug Development Timelines
Eli Lilly has set a company record with over $20 billion in acquisitions in 2026, targeting early-stage biotechs with AI-driven pipelines. The deals — including Kelonia Therapeutics ($7B) and Centessa Pharmaceuticals ($7.8B) — reflect a calculated shift away from internal R&D toward buying pipeline assets made cheaper to evaluate by AI tools. The strategy echoes lessons from Lilly's Prozac patent cliff, when lost exclusivity erased a decade of revenue growth.
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