4E Therapeutics Acquired by Lilly to Advance Non-Opioid Approach to Chronic Pain

 Acquisition combines 4E's innovative MNK inhibitor with Lilly's broad neuroscience capabilities and portfolio

AUSTIN, Texas, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 4E Therapeutics, Inc. ("4E"), an Austin-based neuroscience company developing next-generation treatments for chronic pain, today announced that it has been acquired by Eli Lilly and Company ("Lilly").

4E is developing a pipeline of orally available MNK inhibitors designed to treat chronic pain by targeting the MNK-eIF4E signaling pathway in peripheral sensory neurons. The compounds are intended to deliver meaningful pain relief while avoiding the central nervous system effects associated with many existing therapeutics. The company's lead compound, 4ET1103, is the first MNK inhibitor developed to treat pain to advance to human clinical trials, where it demonstrated a favorable safety profile in a Phase 1 study.

"We founded 4E Therapeutics with a simple but ambitious goal: to develop innovative, non-opioid therapies that address the underlying neurological mechanisms that cause pain," said Joe Price, Co-Founder, President and Chairman of 4E Therapeutics. "Lilly's clinical development, translational, and global commercial capacity – and its deep commitment to tackling the challenges of chronic pain for patients – make it the right home for realizing the full potential of this work for patients."

"Seeing this science – years of research into the molecular events that cause pain to become chronic – advance from basic research to clinical development and now to Lilly's pipeline, provides excitement for the opportunity to accelerate new therapies to patients living with chronic pain," said Theodore Price, Ph.D., Co-Founder of 4E Therapeutics and Director of the Center for Advanced Pain Studies at The University of Texas at Dallas.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

4E's exclusive financial advisor was Aquilo Partners LP and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati LLP provided legal counsel to 4E.

About 4E Therapeutics 
4E Therapeutics is a neuroscience company focused on developing innovative, non-addictive therapies for chronic pain. The company was founded based on pioneering discoveries in the biology of pain and is advancing a portfolio of programs targeting neuropathic pain, migraine, acute pain, and related conditions through a novel mechanism designed to interrupt pain signaling at its source. 4E's medicinal chemistry and drug development has been led by James Sahn, Vice President of Drug Development. T. Craig Benson, a serial biotechnology and life sciences entrepreneur, has led 4E from its founding as CEO.

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SOURCE 4E Therapeutics