Lilly Signs Up to $1.12 Billion Gene-Editing Pact to Tackle Hearing Loss

Overview

• Lilly agreed to a deal worth up to $1.12 billion with Germany’s Seamless Therapeutics to develop hearing-loss treatments using its gene-editing platform.
• The partnership gives Lilly access to programmable recombinases designed to make large, precise DNA edits without relying on cellular DNA-repair pathways.
• Lilly will steer the program from early preclinical research through commercialization, with payments spanning upfront, R&D funding, and development and commercial milestones.
• President Donald Trump said Lilly plans six new U.S. manufacturing plants, while the company has pledged at least $27 billion for capacity expansion with three sites confirmed in Alabama, Virginia, and Texas.
• On January 20, the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Lilly’s ovarian cancer candidate sofetabart mipitecan after early trial responses across dose levels, as analysts maintained bullish ratings including Truist’s $1,182 and Bernstein’s $1,300 price targets.