Pharma BD Deal Intelligence

Eli Lilly and Company / Scorpion Therapeutics

2025 · Acquisition/Merger · $2.5B · Complete

WRONG BY 27 POINTS
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The coverage arc

Jan 13, 2025 Neutral

Lilly pads cancer drug pipeline with Scorpion deal gaining once-daily oral PI3K-alpha inhibitor that could address 30-40 percent of HR-positive breast cancer.

Jan 13, 2025 STAT News Bullish

"This is an example of a target that we've been working on ourselves for years," said Daniel Skovronsky, the Lilly CSO, in an interview near the annual J.P.…

Dec 22, 2025 ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07174336, PIKALO-2) Bullish

Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of tersolisib (LY4064809/STX-478) + CDK4/6 inhibitor + endocrine therapy in treatment-naive…

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Eli Lilly acquired Scorpion Therapeutics' mutant-selective PI3Kalpha inhibitor program (lead asset STX-478) for up to $2.5 billion - $1 billion upfront plus up to $1.5 billion in regulatory and sales milestones - announced at JPM25 on January 13, 2025 and closed March 14, 2025. Lilly retained only the PI3Kalpha program; Scorpion's remaining assets were spun out into Antares Therapeutics (launched June 2025 with $177M). Post-close, Lilly renamed STX-478 tersolisib (development code LY4064809). Updated Phase 1/2 PIKALO-1 data presented at ESMO 2025 (Annals of Oncology LBA26; 204 patients as of July 7, 2025) showed a 23% objective response rate with tersolisib monotherapy in PIK3CA-mutant breast cancer and a tolerability profile (hyperglycemia ~31%) favorable versus wild-type-active PI3Kalpha inhibitors, supporting the mutant-selective differentiation thesis. Lilly advanced the asset to Phase 3: PIKALO-2 (NCT07174336), a randomized placebo-controlled study of tersolisib plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor and endocrine therapy in first-line HR+/HER2- PIK3CA-mutant advanced breast cancer (n=920), began recruiting December 22, 2025, with primary completion estimated May 2029.

Key facts

Related deals — scored

DealYearValueOutcome
Eli Lilly and Company / Scorpion Therapeutics (this deal)2025$2.5B64
Eli Lilly and Company / Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH2011$444M89
Eli Lilly and Company / Loxo Oncology, Inc.2019$8.0B88
Eli Lilly and Company / Applied Molecular Evolution Inc.2003$400M88
Eli Lilly and Company / ICOS Corporation2006$2.3B87
Eli Lilly and Company / Novartis Animal Health2014$5.4B70
Eli Lilly and Company / Incyte Corporation2009$755M69

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