Orna Therapeutics brings Eli Lilly an in vivo cell therapy ready for Phase 1 testing as a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases. Lilly is now the latest pharma company to use M&A to enter this growing field, following deals made in the past year by AstraZeneca, AbbVie, Gilead Sciences, and Bristol Myers Squibb.
Merck aims to bolster its genetic medicines pipeline through a new research alliance with Orna Therapeutics, a startup whose technology forms RNA into a circle shape that brings several advantages for new therapies and vaccines. In addition to starting the partnership, the pharmaceutical giant also invested in Orna’s $221 million Series B financing round.
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