In recent years, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have been expanding their offerings in obesity and diabetes treatment; however, their stocks exhibited negative trends in 2023.
Market and Financial Performance
As of early 2025, stocks of Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have seen declines of -26.5% and -6.7% respectively. Novo Nordisk reported an 18% increase in international sales for Q1 2025, attributed to its obesity care and GLP-1 treatments. Eli Lilly also reported a 45% revenue growth, driven by diabetes and obesity drugs.
Weight Loss Drug Efficiency
Eli Lilly's Q1 2025 report indicated that Zepbound users experienced an average 20.2% weight loss, compared to 13.7% for Novo Nordisk's Wegovy. Eli Lilly's drug employs a dual-action mechanism that may explain its superior weight loss efficiency.
Future Steps of Companies
Novo Nordisk is moving forward with the CagriSema drug, combining semaglutide and cagrilintide to address diabetes and obesity. Eli Lilly is also exploring retatrutide, which targets three appetite-related hormones. Both new drugs are expected to impact the competitive landscape.
Despite current challenges, Eli Lilly shows higher market efficiency in weight loss drugs and boasts a promising product pipeline, which could enhance its future market position.
