Healthy Returns: Eli Lilly makes a new push into vaccines – here’s what to know

The Eli Lilly logo appears on the company’s office in San Diego, California, U.S., Nov. 21, 2025. Mike Blake | Reuters A version of this article first appeared in CNBC's Healthy Returns newsletter, which brings the latest health-care news straight to your inbox. Subscribe here to receive future editions. Eli Lilly 's dealmaking spree just keeps going – but this time, the company is returning to a category it's been absent from for years: vaccines and infectious diseases. The company on Tuesday announced it will buy three privately held vaccine makers in deals worth almost $4 billion combined. That includes: Up to $1.5 billion to buy Curevo, a Seattle-area company developing a vaccine against shingles Up to $780 million to buy LimmaTech Biologics, a Swiss firm targeting staph infections Up to $1.55 billion to buy Vaccine Company, which is developing a shot against Epstein-Barr virus The agreements may have come as a surprise, especially at a time when vaccines face significant regulatory uncertainty and political pressure under the Trump administration. But analysts point out that the push comes just months after Lilly hired Dr. Peter Marks, who served as the Food and Drug Administration's top vaccine regulator for nearly a decade before resigning last year. …