Eli Lilly to Acquire Centessa to Expand Into Sleep Disorders – Merger Arbitrage Mondays

Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (CNTA): $39.69

Market Cap: $5.34B

Deal Value: $6.3B

Eli Lilly (LLY) entered a merger agreement on March 31, 2026, to acquire sleep drug maker Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a deal valued at $6.3 billion, as the U.S.-based drugmaker seeks to broaden its focus beyond metabolic therapies and move into developing treatments for sleep disorders.

UK-based Centessa is developing a new treatment targeting orexin, a brain chemical that regulates sleep and wake cycles. Its main drug, cleminorexton, is currently being tested in mid-stage trials for conditions like narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia, which cause people to feel very sleepy during the day. The word idiopathic refers to an unknown cause for a medical condition.

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