AtaiBeckley jumps 50% on Lilly takeover report

• AtaiBeckley shares jumped about 50% after Bloomberg reported that Eli Lilly was nearing a potential acquisition.
• AtaiBeckley was valued at $1.97 billion before the report, while analysts said a transaction could exceed $2 billion.
• The reported talks could give Eli Lilly access to BPL-003, AtaiBeckley’s psychedelic treatment candidate for resistant depression.

AtaiBeckley (NASDAQ:ATAI) shares jumped about 50% after Bloomberg reported that Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) could acquire the psychedelic drug developer this week.

AtaiBeckley had gained 31% during 2026 and carried a market value of approximately $1.97 billion before the takeover report.

BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman said the transaction could exceed $2 billion, while interest from other pharmaceutical companies could support a higher price.

No final price or agreement was disclosed, and neither company commented publicly on the reported negotiations, while Lilly shares remained largely unchanged.

Following the report, AtaiBeckley's share price was up about 52.3% at $8.16 in premarket trading.

AtaiBeckley is developing BPL-003, an intranasal 5-MeO-DMT treatment for resistant depression that the company has advanced toward Phase 3 studies.

Lilly agreed in March to acquire Centessa Pharmaceuticals for up to $7.8 billion, expanding its neuroscience portfolio into sleep-wake treatments.