Eli Lilly Expands Bispecific Antibody Portfolio with $2.6B ABL Bio Deal

Eli Lilly has announced a significant partnership with South Korean biotech ABL Bio, further bolstering its pipeline and expanding its reach into bispecific antibody development. The deal, valued at up to $2.6 billion, marks Lilly's latest move in a series of strategic investments aimed at enhancing its drug discovery capabilities.

ABL Bio's Grabody Platform Takes Center Stage

Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly will pay $40 million upfront to ABL Bio, with the potential for an additional $2.56 billion in milestone payments. The collaboration centers around ABL's proprietary Grabody platform, which enables the production of highly specific bispecific antibodies.

The Grabody technology has demonstrated versatility across multiple therapeutic areas:

• Grabody-B: Focused on central nervous system diseases
• Grabody-T and Grabody-I: Tailored for cancer treatments, targeting tumors through CD137 and PDL1 pathways, respectively

While specific program details and indications remain undisclosed, the partnership underscores Lilly's commitment to expanding its presence in the burgeoning field of bispecific antibodies.

Lilly's Strategic Investments in Advanced Therapeutics

This latest deal comes on the heels of several other significant investments by Eli Lilly in cutting-edge therapeutic platforms:

1. SangeneBio Partnership: A $1.2 billion agreement to access LEAD technology for targeted RNAi therapies in muscle, fat, and central nervous system tissues.

2. Rznomics Acquisition: A $1.3 billion investment in RNA editing technology for hearing loss, complementing Lilly's existing gene therapy program AK-OTOF.

3. Scorpion Therapeutics: A $2.5 billion acquisition of the PI3K inhibitor STX-478 in January 2025.

4. Verve Therapeutics: A $1.3 billion takeover in June 2025, further diversifying Lilly's portfolio.

Industry Implications and Future Outlook

Lilly's aggressive investment strategy reflects a broader industry trend towards acquiring novel platforms and technologies to drive innovation. The focus on bispecific antibodies, RNA-based therapies, and targeted approaches highlights the pharmaceutical giant's commitment to addressing complex diseases through multiple modalities.

As the details of specific programs and indications emerge from these partnerships, the pharmaceutical industry will be watching closely to see how Lilly leverages these technologies to advance its pipeline and potentially bring groundbreaking therapies to market.