French Government Says No Contact With Eli Lilly on Abivax

France’s finance ministry said Monday that it has not been contacted regarding a possible bid from Eli Lilly & Co. to buy biotech company Abivax SA, as would be mandatory under the country’s investment screening rules.

Abivax’s shares surged in Paris trading earlier Monday as speculation mounted over a possible takeover of the French company following a report in La Lettre.

The French finance ministry told Bloomberg that it hasn’t received a dossier for investment screening from Eli Lilly and is not in contact with the company. In the case of strategic pharmaceutical companies, such a request for ...