Eli Lilly's Acquisition of Versanis Validates Muscle Preservation as a Major Therapeutic Opportunity
Melbourne, Australia — 14 July 2023
Eli Lilly today announced its acquisition of Versanis Bio for up to US$1.9 billion, adding bimagrumab — a myostatin inhibitor being tested as a combination therapy with GLP-1 drugs — to its obesity portfolio.
The deal is a clear signal that the world's leading GLP-1 manufacturer recognises muscle preservation as a critical unmet need in weight loss therapy. As GLP-1 drugs become ubiquitous, the problem of lean muscle loss with these therapies is moving to the centre of the obesity treatment conversation.
"This acquisition validates what we've believed for some time: that muscle preservation is not an optional add-on to GLP-1 therapy, it's a necessity," said Imitex Executive Chairman Dr Greg Collier. "Imitex's MEF2 activation approach addresses this need with a fundamentally different and we believe superior mechanism — one that targets both muscle mass and metabolism simultaneously, in an oral small molecule."