Lilly teams with Amplitude on RNA vaccines

Eli Lilly and Amplitude Therapeutics announced a strategic research collaboration and licensing agreement on August 19, 2026, to discover and develop trans-amplifying RNA (taRNA) vaccine candidates for infectious diseases.

The initial vaccine programs target undisclosed infectious diseases with high unmet need. Lilly can add up to two further targets and will handle later-stage development, clinical trials, manufacturing, regulatory work, and commercialization; financial terms were not disclosed.

Amplitude’s taRNA platform is intended to improve RNA-vaccine potency and dose efficiency by separating replicase and antigen-encoding components. The programs remain at the discovery/preclinical stage.

The search results do not clearly identify a new 2026 report that Otsuka scrapped a psychedelic trial. The closest verified match is Otsuka’s May 2024 decision to terminate AVP-786 development after a Phase 3 trial failed to show a statistically significant benefit over placebo on its primary agitation endpoint.

That AVP-786 program was for agitation associated with Alzheimer’s disease, not a psychedelic trial. Otsuka has separately expanded its psychedelic portfolio, including its acquisition of Canadian biotech Mindset Pharma and other psychedelic-related investments.