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Eli Lilly to buy psychedelic drugmaker AtaiBeckley for up to $3.8 billion in bet on depression therapy
Ines Ferré· Senior Business Reporter
Thu, July 16, 2026 at 9:23 AM EDT1 min read
What happened: AtaiBeckley ( ATAI) stock jumped 30% pre-market Thursday after Eli Lilly ( LLY) said it would acquire the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company.
What's behind the move: Eli Lilly is making a bet on neuroscience and psychiatric pharmaceuticals after announcing it will buy AtaiBeckley in a deal valued at $2.8 billion upfront, with the potential to reach $3.8 billion if certain milestones are met.
The acquisition gives Lilly access to AtaiBeckley's experimental therapy being developed for patients with treatment-resistant depression.
"AtaiBeckley's therapies are designed to restore synaptic connectivity and aim to promote the growth of new neural connections, offering a distinct mechanism from conventional antidepressants," said Eli Lilly in a statement.
7.10 +1.73 (+32.37%)
As of 3:51:02 PM EDT. Market Open.
ATAILLY
What else you need to know: Under the agreement, Lilly will pay $6.75 per share in cash, representing an upfront equity value of roughly $2.8 billion.
The offer represents a roughly 26% premium to AtaiBeckley's Wednesday closing price of $5.36.
Shareholders could receive up to an additional $2.50 per share tied to future clinical and regulatory milestones for its therapies BPL-003 and VLS-01.
Ines Ferre is a Senior Business Reporter for Yahoo Finance covering the US stock market, publicly traded companies, and commodities.
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San Diego, California, USA - July 9, 2022: Lilly Biotechnology Center in San Diego, California, USA. Eli Lilly and Company is an American pharmaceutical company.·JHVEPhoto via Getty Images
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