Ventyx Biosciences said to be in takeover talks with Eli Lilly, shares surge

7th Jan 2026 13:35

(Sharecast News) - Ventyx Biosciences surged in pre-market trade on Wednesday following a report that Eli Lilly & Co. is in advanced talks to buy the company for more than $1bn to expand its work in immunology.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a deal for Ventyx, which specialises in developing pills that can treat inflammatory diseases, could be announced imminently.

San Diego-based Ventyx had a market value of a little over $500m as of Tuesday afternoon.

The company specialises in the development of pills to treat diseases like Crohn's and rheumatoid arthritis. The pills have also shown promise treating neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's, as well as heart-related conditions, the WSJ said.

One of Ventyx's drug candidates is currently in mid-stage testing for the treatment of cardiovascular disease associated with obesity.

The WSJ said Ventyx has been developing treatments targeting a complex of proteins, called NLRP3, that researchers have found plays an important role in the body's inflammatory response and immune diseases where that response goes haywire.

Ventyx has two experimental drugs that seek to inhibit the out-of-control inflammatory activity.

At 1310 GMT, Ventyx shares were up 56% at $15.67 in pre-market trade.