GoKawiilEli Lilly to acquire AtaiBeckley for up to $3.8bn in psychedelic drug push
Eli Lilly announced in July plans to acquire psychedelic-medicine developer AtaiBeckley for up to $3.8 billion, targeting its lead drug BPL-003 for treatment-resistant depression. The deal follows AbbVie's $1.2 billion acquisition earlier in 2025 of Gilgamesh Pharmaceutical's short-acting psychedelic bretisilocin, signaling renewed big-pharma interest despite the FDA's 2023 rejection of an MDMA-based PTSD treatment.
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These large acquisitions suggest major drugmakers see psychedelic-based therapies as a viable commercial category after years of regulatory uncertainty, particularly for hard-to-treat conditions like depression and PTSD. Clearer regulatory guidance and late-stage trial data, as described by researchers like Rachel Yehuda, may be giving companies more confidence to invest despite past setbacks and ongoing FDA staffing constraints.
- Eli Lilly plans to buy AtaiBeckley for up to $3.8 billion, its psychedelic depression drug BPL-003 being the key asset.
- AbbVie made a similar move in 2025, acquiring Gilgamesh Pharmaceutical's bretisilocin for $1.2 billion.
- Investment is accelerating despite the FDA's 2023 rejection of an MDMA-based PTSD treatment, as clinical data and regulatory clarity improve.
Source: nature.com — Peeples, 2026-10-27
Published there as: “Why pharma firms are betting billions on psychedelic drugs despite setbacks”
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