Lilly completes acquisition of Centessa Pharmaceuticals to advance treatments for sleep-wake disorders

INDIANAPOLIS, June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc. Centessa is a clinical-stage company developing orexin receptor 2 agonists as a new class of medicines for the treatment of narcolepsy and potentially other sleep-wake disorders.

"The orexin system plays a fundamental role in human brain health, governing wakefulness, alertness, and the stability of sleep in ways that, when disrupted, can be profoundly disabling," said Carole Ho, Lilly executive vice president and president, Lilly Neuroscience. "For people living with narcolepsy, that disruption is severe and life-altering. Orexin's reach extends further to diseases impacted by disrupted sleep, and so does the unmet need. Centessa has built a clinical portfolio with the depth to explore both, and Lilly intends to pursue that potential with urgency."

About Lilly
Lilly is a medicine company turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world. We've been pioneering life-changing discoveries for 150 years, and today our medicines help tens of millions of people across the globe. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new discoveries to solve some of the world's most significant health challenges: redefining diabetes care; treating obesity and curtailing its most devastating long-term effects; advancing the fight against Alzheimer's disease; providing solutions to some of the most debilitating immune system disorders; and transforming the most difficult-to-treat cancers into manageable diseases. With each step toward a healthier world, we're motivated by one thing: making life better for millions more people. That includes delivering innovative clinical trials that reflect the diversity of our world and working to ensure our medicines are accessible and affordable. To learn more, visit Lilly.com and Lilly.com/news, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. F-LLY

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Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about the benefits of Lilly's acquisition of Centessa Pharmaceuticals, Lilly's neuroscience platform and development plans, Centessa's clinical-stage pipeline of programs targeting sleep disorders, including its lead program targeting orexin dysfunction, and reflects Lilly's current beliefs and expectations. However, as with any such undertaking, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in implementing the acquisition and in the process of drug research, development, and commercialization. Among other things, there can be no guarantee that Lilly will realize the expected benefits of the acquisition, that the acquisition will achieve the results discussed in this press release or that the acquisition will yield commercially successful products. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from Lilly's expectations, see Lilly's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this press release.

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company