Eli Lilly announced on February 9, 2026, it will acquire Orna Therapeutics for up to $2.4 billion in cash, including upfront and milestone payments1235
Orna develops in vivo CAR-T therapies using engineered circular RNA delivered via lipid nanoparticles, enabling cell modification inside the body without ex vivo processing12346
Lead program ORN-252 targets CD19 for B cell-driven autoimmune diseases, is clinical trial-ready, and showed B cell depletion in nonhuman primates1256
This is part of Lilly's recent dealmaking spree, including acquisitions of Ventyx Biosciences and others in 202626
Orna has prior partnerships with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Merck, and others, which Lilly will acquire236
Sources:
1. https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/09/eli-lilly-buys-orna-therapeutics-in-vivo-car-t/
2. https://www.biospace.com/business/eli-lilly-enters-car-t-realm-with-2-4b-orna-buy-starting-with-autoimmune
3. https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/lilly-orna-acquire-in-vivo-cell-therapy-autoimmune/811692/
4. https://www.pharmexec.com/view/eli-lilly-8-billion-strategic-collaboration-innovent-biologics-acquires-orna-therapeutics
5. https://www.ornatx.com/lilly-to-acquire-orna-therapeutics-to-advance-cell-therapies/
6. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/lilly-buys-orna-24b-enter-vivo-car-t-arena