Lilly to Acquire Centessa Pharmaceuticals for Sleep Disorder Treatments

Acquisition expands Lilly's neuroscience portfolio and capabilities into sleep medicine.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 10:48am

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A high-end, photorealistic studio still-life photograph featuring a collection of premium, polished medical devices and pharmaceutical vials arranged elegantly on a clean, monochromatic seamless background, conceptually representing the advanced neuroscience technology and sleep disorder treatments resulting from the Lilly-Centessa acquisition.The acquisition of Centessa's innovative sleep disorder treatment pipeline will bolster Lilly's neuroscience capabilities and bring new hope to patients struggling with excessive daytime sleepiness.Indianapolis Today

Eli Lilly and Company announced a definitive agreement to acquire Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage company developing a new class of medicines for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness and other neurological conditions. Centessa's pipeline of orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonists is designed to address the neurobiological system critical to the sleep-wake cycle.

Why it matters

The acquisition expands Lilly's neuroscience capabilities into the growing sleep medicine market, providing potential best-in-class treatments for conditions like narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia that currently have limited therapeutic options.

The details

Centessa's lead investigational candidate cleminorexton has demonstrated promising results in Phase 2a clinical studies across multiple sleep-wake disorders. The acquisition will combine Centessa's innovative orexin science and portfolio with Lilly's global research, clinical, regulatory, and commercial expertise to accelerate the advancement of these treatments.

  • The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.
  • The acquisition is subject to approval by Centessa shareholders, sanction by the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, and other customary closing conditions.

The players

Eli Lilly and Company

A global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets medicines to treat a wide range of health conditions.

Centessa Pharmaceuticals

A clinical-stage company developing a new class of medicines for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness and other neurological conditions.

Carole Ho

Executive vice president and president of Lilly Neuroscience.

Mario Alberto Accardi, PhD

Chief Executive Officer of Centessa and Founder of the Orexin Program.

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What they’re saying

“Orexin receptor biology represents one of the most compelling mechanistic opportunities in neuroscience as a direct intervention on the master switch of the sleep-wake cycle. Centessa has assembled a portfolio with the breadth and depth to improve wakefulness across a broad array of indications.”

— Carole Ho, Executive vice president and president, Lilly Neuroscience

“Centessa is at the forefront of orexin science, and we've built a potential best-in-class portfolio of OX2R agonists with a level of depth and breadth that could help redefine what's possible in neuroscience.”

— Mario Alberto Accardi, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Centessa and Founder of the Orexin Program

What’s next

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to approval by Centessa shareholders, sanction by the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

The takeaway

The acquisition of Centessa Pharmaceuticals strengthens Lilly's neuroscience portfolio and capabilities in the growing sleep medicine market, providing potential best-in-class treatments for conditions like narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia that currently have limited therapeutic options.