The news: Eli Lilly is spending up to almost $4 billion to acquire three vaccine developers: Curevo, LimaTech Biologics, and Vaccine Company. The acquisitions include vaccine candidates for shingles, Epstein-Barr virus, and bacterial pathogens.

The acquisitions add to Lilly’s nearly $21 billion in dealmaking so far this year, including cancer, cell and gene therapy, and drug discovery assets, as it diversifies beyond its blockbuster GLP-1 drugs amid growing competition.

Why it matters: The private sector is betting on the resilience of the clinician-patient bond to override political skepticism.

Drugmakers and investors are betting on healthcare professionals' trust in vaccines and consumers following their guidance. 90% of consumers have confidence in their primary care provider, while 77% are confident in health guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, per a March 2026 Annenberg study. Primary care physicians and pediatricians play a central role in guiding patients’ vaccine decisions. The AAP’s Vaccine Confidence Campaign supports pediatricians with educational tools and advice for parents.

But they’re still navigating a regulatory environment where some protections exist alongside broad funding cuts. In the past year, the HHS cancelled $500 million in mRNA vaccine grants and cut the recommended childhood vaccine schedule from 17 shots to 11. But it also approved updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines, and this week extended liability protections for drug developers targeting the Andes hantavirus strain.

Implications for pharma companies: Lilly’s move (along with Moderna’s continued mRNA efforts, Pfizer’s pediatric vaccine advances, and GSK’s investment in US vaccine manufacturing) underscores the importance of infectious disease drug development to longer-term growth. Lilly’s acquisitions also highlight growing interest in vaccines that may mitigate longer-term health risks stemming from viral infections, including cancer and neurological disease. Science-backed pharmaceutical products with broad medical support are likely to outlast the current administration’s ambivalence, reducing pressure on drugmakers to avoid vaccine investments if deal terms are favorable.

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