David Ricks

Eli Lilly agrees to acquire Merida Biosciences

Overseeing Lilly's 2026 acquisition spree

Eli Lilly agreed to buy Merida Biosciences for up to $2.875 billion. The deal adds a platform that destroys the specific antibodies driving autoimmune disease instead of broadly suppressing the immune system. Merida's lead drug, MER511, is in early human testing for Graves' disease and thyroid eye disease.

Updated Sep 1

Eli Lilly buys psychedelic drugmaker AtaiBeckley

Money Moves

Leading Lilly's push into mental health drugs

Eli Lilly agreed to buy AtaiBeckley for $6.75 a share in cash, about $2.8 billion, with up to $1 billion more if two drugs hit development targets. The purchase pulls one of the world's largest drugmakers into psychedelic medicine.

Updated Jul 16

Indiana stakes billions on an industrial mega-district that doesn't have enough water

Built World

Overseeing $9B+ LEAP investment

Indiana committed over $23 billion in private investment to a 9,500-acre industrial district in Boone County farmland before solving a basic problem: where the water would come from. The state is advancing a $560 million plan to pipe up to 25 million gallons per day from Indianapolis. The water would supply Eli Lilly's $9 billion pharmaceutical campus and Meta's $10 billion data center complex, despite objections from Indianapolis lawmakers, environmental groups, and hundreds of property owners along the pipeline route.

Updated May 31

Weight-loss pills that work like Ozempic arrive, no injection required

New Capabilities

Leading Lilly's obesity drug expansion

For two years, the most effective weight-loss drugs on the market required a weekly injection, but that barrier is now falling. Eli Lilly began shipping Foundayo on April 6, 2026 — just five days after FDA approval in a record 50-day review — making it the first oral GLP-1 pill with no food or water restrictions. At $149/month (or $25 with insurance), it's 85% cheaper than injectables.

Updated May 30