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Lilly And Novo Nordisk Shape Up For Obesity Treatment Battle Of The Heavyweights

Key Phase III Readouts Soon

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro looks set to gain US approval for obesity this year and upcoming Phase III data could help it eclipse the huge success of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy.

Eli Lilly logo sign atop Lilly Biotechnology Center
Lilly's drug outperformed Novo's in a head-to-head in diabetes, but is now aiming for superiority in obesity treatment as well. • Source: Michael Vi / Shutterstock.com

The battle for control of the multi-billion dollar diabetes and obesity treatment market is about to heat up, with Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy/Ozempic set to shortly unveil key Phase III studies.

While both the weekly injectable drugs are already used in type 2 diabetes treatment, Novo has opened up leadership in obesity since GLP-1 agonist Wegovy (semaglutide) gained US Food and Drug Administration approval two years ago. Last year, Novo doubled its glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) franchise obesity sales to DKK16.86bn ($2

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