Lilly to Acquire Vaccine Company, Inc. and its Phase 1-Ready EBV Vaccine Candidate

Vaccine Company, Inc., a pre-clinical-stage biotechnology company, has announced its acquisition by Lilly. The company's lead program is a Phase 1-ready EBV vaccine candidate with the potential to prevent infectious mononucleosis and long-term conditions associated with EBV infection. The proprietary In Vivo Nanoparticle (IVN) technologies, designed to enable durable immune responses, have attracted Lilly's interest.

The acquisition agreement includes a cash consideration of up to $1.55 billion for Vaccine Company's equity holders, with future payments contingent on specified clinical and commercial milestones. The partnership aims to advance science, develop programs, and deliver vaccines globally. The acquisition is anticipated to address the absence of an Epstein-Barr virus vaccine, with potential implications for conditions such as multiple sclerosis and malignancies linked to EBV.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval. Vaccine Company, founded in 2022, has gained support from prominent investors such as Pfizer Ventures, Wellcome Trust, Lilly Ventures, and Global Health Investment Corporation. The company's mission revolves around bringing next-generation antigen engineering to vaccine science, with a focus on advancing a pipeline of preclinical and IND-enabling programs, including a vaccine candidate for infectious mononucleosis caused by Epstein-Barr virus.

Source: PR NewsWire