Eli Lilly announced on Sunday that its obesity drug, Zepbound, outperformed Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy in a head-to-head trial, showing better results across five key weight-loss measures, including reducing waist circumference. The company shared the findings at the European Congress on Obesity.
In December, Lilly revealed that Zepbound had already met its main goal, achieving 47% more weight loss compared to Wegovy. The full study data confirmed these findings and added more weight to Zepbound’s potential as a competitor in the growing obesity drug market, which could surpass $150 billion annually within the next decade.
This announcement comes just days after CVS Health chose to drop Zepbound from certain insurance coverage lists, favoring Wegovy instead.
The trial also revealed that Zepbound helped nearly 25% more participants lose over 15% of their body weight compared to Wegovy. In terms of waist circumference reduction, Zepbound achieved an average decrease of 18.4 cm, while Wegovy led to a reduction of 13 cm on average.
Zepbound works by mimicking two gut hormones, while Wegovy has a single mode of action. Both drugs have received U.S. approvals based on separate trials. Zepbound showed a 22% weight loss after 72 weeks, while Wegovy led to a 15% reduction in weight after 68 weeks.
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