Eli Lilly has entered into a licensing agreement with CSL, providing $100 million upfront for access to clazakizumab, an anti-IL-6 monoclonal antibody. The deal also includes potential clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments as well as royalties if the drug reaches the market. The companies did not disclose details about these future payments.
Clazakizumab targets the IL-6 cytokine, which plays a role in immune system regulation, blood vessel inflammation, and new blood cell production. According to CSL, excessive IL-6 production is associated with several chronic inflammatory diseases. Previously, CSL Behring ended a Phase 3 trial of clazakizumab for transplant rejection due to lack of efficacy.
Bill Mezzanotte, head of research and development at CSL, stated: “clazakizumab has the potential to significantly impact the treatment landscape for various immune-inflammatory and cardiovascular conditions.”
CSL is currently conducting a Phase 3 study of clazakizumab aimed at preventing cardiovascular events in patients with end-stage kidney disease. Under this agreement, CSL will keep exclusive rights to develop and commercialize clazakizumab for this indication.
Lilly will investigate other possible uses for clazakizumab but has not specified which conditions it will target.
This deal follows several recent acquisitions by Lilly in 2026. Last week, Lilly acquired Orna Therapeutics for $2.4 billion to expand into CAR T therapies targeting B cell-driven autoimmune diseases. In January, Lilly bought Ventyx Biosciences for $1.2 billion and gained two NLRP3-targeted assets in Phase 2 trials focused on inflammation.
Other notable deals include a $1.12 billion partnership with Seamless Therapeutics to develop gene editors for hearing loss (https://www.biospace.com/article/lilly-and-seamless-therapeutics-partner-on-gene-editors-for-hearing-loss-in-1-12b-deal/) and an agreement pledging up to $1.84 billion with Ventyx Biosciences to advance tolerizing therapies for autoimmune diseases (https://www.biospace.com/article/lilly-to-acquire-ventyx-biosciences-for-1-25b/).
