Eli Lilly announced that its weight-loss drug Zepbound outperformed rival Wegovy from Novo Nordisk in the first head-to-head clinical trial between the two blockbuster drugs.
In a study sponsored by Lilly, people treated with Zepbound lost an average of 20% of their body weight — or about 22 pounds — over 72 weeks, while those who received Wegovy lost 14%. The results confirm previous trials of the two drugs that indicated a stronger impact of Zepbound.
Although Novo was the first to begin selling GLP-1 drugs (drugs that stimulate insulin secretion and reduce glucagon) to combat obesity, the results offer Lilly an opportunity to recover in a market that has become the fastest growing segment of the pharmaceutical industry, expected to reach US$130 billion by the end of the decade. Studies like this can be used by pharmaceutical companies to argue that their products are superior alternatives.
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The two rivals are engaged in a “perpetual game of overtaking,” Mizuho’s Jared Holz said in a note ahead of the results release. Although the results achieved with Zepbound were in line with previous trials cited on the drug’s label, the weight loss associated with Wegovy was at the lower end of the range seen in two other long-term trials.
Novo shares fell up to 1.8% this Wednesday (4) in Copenhagen. They rose about 11% this year. Lilly shares rose as much as 2.5% in trading before U.S. markets opened.
Side effects were mostly related to the gastrointestinal tract and similar for both medications. The full results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at a medical meeting next year, Lilly said.
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Next generation
On Wednesday, Novo pointed to its own clinical study that showed Wegovy was able to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other major cardiovascular events by 20% compared to a placebo. This change was demonstrated “independently of weight loss,” the company said in a statement.
“We know that treating this poorly understood disease is more than just a number on the scale,” Novo said.
In an effort to maintain its lead, the Danish drugmaker is also testing a next-generation compound called CagriSema, which it hopes will help patients lose at least 25% of their body weight.
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Novo is running its own clinical trials to see if CagriSema can outperform Zepbound, with a study of 800 people with obesity expected to report results next year. The company also began two separate trials this year on how the two drugs might reduce blood glucose and weight in people with type 2 diabetes; they are expected to be completed in 2026.
Research has shown that the more weight patients lose, the more they reduce their risk of related health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. Lilly’s study could help convince doctors, patients and cost-conscious insurers that Zepbound, which has a monthly list price of $1,060 in the U.S., is a better long-term investment than Wegovy, which is priced at $1,349.
The trial included 751 participants in the US and Puerto Rico who received the highest dose of Zepbound or Wegovy they could tolerate.
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