Centessa Pharmaceuticals Appoints Mario Accardi as CEO
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 11 2025
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Should l Buy CNTA?
Centessa Pharmaceuticals announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Mario Alberto Accardi PhD, President and founder of Centessa's Orexin Program, as CEO and member of the Board, effective January 1, 2026. Dr. Accardi will succeed Saurabh Saha MD PhD, who will step down from his position as CEO and a member of the Board, effective January 1, 2026. Dr. Saha will be appointed advisor to the CEO.
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Analyst Views on CNTA
Wall Street analysts forecast CNTA stock price to fall
13 Analyst Rating
13 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 39.860
Low
27.00
Averages
38.75
High
62.00
Current: 39.860
Low
27.00
Averages
38.75
High
62.00
About CNTA
Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company. The Company is developing a new class of potential therapies within its orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonist program for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), impaired attention, cognitive deficits, fatigue and other symptoms across neurological, neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. It also has an early-stage immuno-oncology program focused on its LockBody technology platform. Its OX2R agonist pipeline includes ORX750, its advanced OX2R agonist development candidate, and ORX142, ORX489 and OX2R agonists in preclinical development. Its ORX750, an investigational, orally administered, highly potent and selective OX2R agonist, is in a Phase IIa study of participants with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1), NT2 and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH). ORX142 is the second OX2R agonist development candidate being advanced for the treatment of neurological and neurodegenerative disorders and other symptoms.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Target Price Distribution: Among analysts covered by Zacks, the average target price for Centessa Pharmaceuticals is $39.64 with a standard deviation of $8.472, indicating significant divergence in analyst opinions, with the lowest target at $30.00 and the highest at $62.00.
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- Acquisition Overview: Eli Lilly is acquiring Centessa Pharmaceuticals for up to $7.8 billion, offering $38 per share in cash, which represents a nearly 38% premium over Centessa's closing price on Monday, providing substantial returns for its investors.
- Contingent Value Rights: Centessa shareholders will also receive a non-transferable contingent value right that could be worth up to $9 per share if certain regulatory milestones for its investigational drugs are met, enhancing the attractiveness and potential profitability of the deal.
- Market Potential Analysis: Centessa is developing a novel class of drugs targeting daytime sleepiness and other neurological conditions, with its leading experimental drug, cleminorexton, showing best-in-class potential in Phase 2 clinical studies, which could position it well in a $20 billion market for severe sleep disorder treatments.
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- Shareholder Rights Protection: The firm encourages Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ: CNTA) shareholders to consider the implications of its sale to Eli Lilly for $38.00 per share in cash plus a contingent value right of up to $9.00, ensuring the protection of shareholder interests.
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