Lilly to Buy Merida for $2.88 Billion in Autoimmune Push

Eli Lilly & Co. plans to buy Merida Biosciences Inc. for as much as $2.88 billion in cash to expand in autoimmune and allergic diseases, part of an effort to build beyond the weight-loss and diabetes markets that made it the largest pharmaceutical company in the world. Lilly has been on a record sp…