Eli Lilly has acquired three biotech companies—Curevo, LimmaTech Biologics, and Vaccine Company—in a $3.8 billion deal, providing its recently hired head of Infectious Disease, Peter Marks, with a new pipeline to develop. The acquisitions were announced on May 27 and are seen as significant for both the company and Marks, who joined Lilly last fall after leaving his role as chief of vaccines at the Food and Drug Administration.
Analysts from BMO Capital Markets said in a note that the acquisitions "give 'Marks colors to paint a picture.'" The analysts also wrote that these purchases "provide a scaffold of new products which recently hired head of Infectious Disease, Peter Marks, can further develop to expand Lilly’s development efforts." Leerink Partners also cited Marks as an important factor in the deals.
Marks had served as head of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the FDA for about nine years before departing in March 2025. His resignation came six weeks after Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his skepticism about vaccines, became Secretary of Health and Human Services. In his resignation letter, Marks raised concerns about Kennedy's handling of vaccine safety records.
The market reacted negatively to what was described as an allegedly forced resignation. In his letter, Marks said that Kennedy does not seek “truth and transparency,” but rather “subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.”
Before joining the FDA, Marks worked in industry developing products in hematology and oncology. During his time at the agency he was known as a proponent for genetic medicine and gene therapy.
With these recent acquisitions by Eli Lilly expanding its infectious disease portfolio—a field where it previously had limited presence—analysts suggest that this move allows Marks to build out new capabilities within the company.
