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Eli Lilly
has agreed to pay up to $7.8 billion to acquire Centessa Pharmaceuticals and its experimental drug for excessive daytime sleepiness, the company said Tuesday.
Centessa is one of several companies working on a new class of drugs to treat narcolepsy, a condition that makes it difficult for people to stay awake during the day. The drugs may also be used to treat other neurological conditions that are accompanied by drowsiness, such as Alzheimer’s disease and depression, and possibly even more broadly.
“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,” Dr. Carole Ho, president of Lilly Neuroscience, said in a statement. “Centessa has assembled a portfolio with the breadth and depth to improve wakefulness across a broad array of indications.”
