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Lilly to acquire Ajax Therapeutics to advance outcomes for patients with myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) and Ajax Therapeutics, Inc. ("Ajax"), a biopharmaceutical company developing next generation JAK inhibitors for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), today announced a definitive agreement for Lilly to acquire Ajax. Ajax's lead asset, AJ1-11095, is an investigational, once-daily oral, first-in-class Type II JAK2 inhibitor currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial, AJX-101, in patients with myelofibrosis who have previously been treated w
About this update from Eli Lilly And Company
[{"type":"text","content":"Ajax's lead program, AJ1-11095, is a first-in-class Type II JAK2 inhibitor currently in Phase 1 clinical development, with first proof-of-concept clinical data to be presented later in 2026","length":193,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"Based on its unique mode of binding JAK2, AJ1-11095 has the potential to deliver deeper and more durable disease control than approved therapies for myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera","length":184,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"Acquisition builds on Lilly's established capabilities in blood cancers","length":75,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"INDIANAPOLIS and NEW YORK and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) and Ajax Therapeutics, Inc. ("Ajax"), a biopharmaceutical company developing next generation JAK inhibitors for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), today announced a definitive agreement for Lilly to acquire Ajax. Ajax's lead asset, AJ1-11095, is an investigational, once-daily oral, first-in-class Type II JAK2 inhibitor currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial, AJX-101, in patients with myelofibrosis who have previously been treated with a Type I JAK2 inhibitor.","length":621,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"All approved JAK2 inhibitors for patients with MPNs, including myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera, bind the Type I confirmation of JAK2. While these JAK2 inhibitors provide clinical and symptomatic relief, many patients often discontinue Type I JAK2 treatment due to a lack of durable benefit or loss of response. AJ1-11095 was designed as a selective Type II JAK2 inhibitor to not only deliver deeper and more durable efficacy than existing JAK2 inhibitors but also to provide a novel treatment option for those patients who become resistant to Type I JAK2 inhibitors. The Phase 1 clinical trial of AJ1-11095 began in late 2024 and dose selection for future clinical development is expected in 2026. ","length":701,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":""As a founding strategic investor in Ajax, Lilly has long believed in the approach and is excited about the potential for AJ1-11095 to deliver deeper and more durable efficacy than available treatments with a tolerability profile that would allow for patients to remain on...