According to the Zhongtong Finance and Economics APP, the American pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.US) plans to invest approximately 0.279 billion British pounds (about 0.364 billion US dollars) in a new investment initiative, mainly to support the collaborative development of multiple biotechnology companies in the UK and to conduct research on its groundbreaking drugs for treating diabetes and obesity in the UK, assessing the impact on the use of medical resources and employment situation in the UK.

According to a Monday email statement, the latest investment from the American pharmaceutical company based in Indianapolis includes 0.204 billion British pounds to establish Lilly Gateway Labs in the UK, allowing some early-stage biotech companies in the UK to access Lilly's expertise, laboratory space, and potential financial investments.

Other investments in the UK also include a 5-year real-world study on 'tirzepatide', which involves Mounjaro for the treatment of diabetes and obesity symptoms in the US market, as well as Zepbound for weight loss purposes, impacting medical resources in the UK, and researching the promotion of anti-obesity drugs in the UK. Tirzepatide is the core component of Lilly's weight loss drugs.

Despite the long-standing commitment of the British government to position the country as a 'superpower in life sciences', it has long struggled to attract and retain investment. Dave Ricks, CEO of Eli Lilly and Co, introduced this initiative at a meeting in London, where international business leaders such as Lilly have committed to increasing investment in the UK, and the British government has promised to relax regulatory guidelines for British businesses.

According to the statement, in addition to studying the scale of patient use of medical care services in the UK, Lilly's real-world study on tirzepatide in the UK will also monitor its impact on employment and sick leave conditions. Lilly stated that it will collaborate with the UK government to explore other major investment opportunities, such as building a large manufacturing base for Lilly and collaborating with the country's venture capital fund. Since the new Labour government took office in the UK, it has been trying to attract more foreign investment.

A recent study found that obese patients using Mounjaro, a weight loss and diabetes treatment drug launched by Eli Lilly and Co (with tirzepatide as the core component), had significantly more weight loss effects compared to patients using Ozempic, a similar weight loss and diabetes treatment drug launched by Eli Lilly's strongest competitor in the weight loss drug field Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO.US) (with Semaglutide as the core component, also known as liraglutide).

The above research is of great significance for the two pharmaceutical giants, 'Eli Lilly and Co' and 'Novo-nordisk a/s', which are forming a monopoly in the weight loss drug market. It may prompt more obese patients or people trying to lose weight through injections to turn to 'Eli Lilly and Co' instead of 'Novo-nordisk a/s', which may also have a boosting effect on 'Eli Lilly and Co's stock price.

Looking at a longer time frame, after using six months, the average weight loss of Mounjaro users reached as high as 10.1%, while the average weight loss of Ozempic users was only 5.8%. After 12 months, the average weight loss of Mounjaro users was 15.3%, while the average weight loss of Ozempic users was 8.3%. The study also showed that the risk of gastrointestinal adverse events for the two types of weight loss injection drugs was generally similar.