Eli Lilly agreed to acquire Orna Therapeutics in a deal worth up to $2.4 billion to add Orna’s circular RNA and LNP delivery platform and a clinic‑ready in vivo CAR‑T candidate targeting CD19. Lilly said the acquisition will integrate Orna’s oRNA technology into its genetic‑medicine strategy across immunology and CNS programs and could simplify production compared with ex vivo CAR‑T approaches. Orna’s ORN‑252 is described as clinical trial ready for in vivo CAR‑T application in autoimmune disease; Lilly framed the purchase as a strategic move to broaden its in‑house capabilities for next‑generation cell and genetic therapies. The deal is the latest major pharma M&A step into in vivo cell therapy, following several recent purchases and partnerships across the industry.