Eli Lilly Inks $1.3 Billion Deal with Superluminal Medicines for GPCR-Based Drug Discovery

Eli Lilly has entered into a significant collaboration with Superluminal Medicines, a biotech company specializing in G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) drug discovery. The deal, valued at up to $1.3 billion, aims to develop novel therapeutics for cardiometabolic diseases and obesity.

Collaboration Details and Financial Terms

The partnership will leverage Superluminal's GPCR platform to discover and optimize small-molecule therapeutics for undisclosed targets. Eli Lilly will receive exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the resulting compounds.

The financial structure of the deal includes:

• Upfront and near-term payments
• An equity investment in Superluminal
• Development and commercial milestones
• Tiered royalties on net sales of approved drugs

While the exact breakdown of the $1.3 billion has not been disclosed, the agreement represents a substantial commitment from Lilly to Superluminal's technology.

Superluminal's GPCR Platform and Pipeline

Superluminal Medicines, based at Lilly's Gateway Labs site in Boston, has been developing a platform focused on GPCRs, which are membrane proteins crucial for cellular communication. The company's CEO, Cony D'Cruz, emphasized the potential of their platform to deliver high-quality development candidates against historically challenging GPCR targets.

Key points about Superluminal's technology and pipeline include:

• GPCRs represent 35% of all drug targets, with 70% of the over 800 known GPCRs currently undrugged
• Superluminal is advancing an internal drug candidate targeting rare genetic forms of obesity and hypothalamic obesity
• The company raised a $120 million Series A round in September 2024, which included backing from Eli Lilly

Industry Context and Competition

The collaboration between Lilly and Superluminal comes at a time of increased interest in GPCR-based drug discovery across the pharmaceutical industry. Several other companies and partnerships are exploring the potential of GPCRs:

• Septerna, which went public last year, has a GPCR-focused collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals
• Boehringer Ingelheim has acquired rights to Nxera Pharma's GPCR schizophrenia drug
• Tectonic Therapeutics merged with Avrobio to focus on GPCR drugs as their primary target

This deal also holds potential to diversify Lilly's next-generation obesity pipeline, following recent investor disappointment with the phase 3 readout of their oral GLP-1 option.