According to the Zhitong Finance APP, Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.US) stated that its weight loss drug Zepbound performed better than its competitor Novo-Nordisk A/S (NVO.US) Wegovy in the first head-to-head trial. In a study sponsored by Eli Lilly, individuals treated with Zepbound lost an average of 20% of their body weight, about 50 pounds, over 72 weeks, while those treated with Wegovy only lost 14%. This result confirms the conclusions of previous trials indicating that Zepbound has a stronger effect.

The side effects of both drugs are mainly gastrointestinal and are quite similar. Eli Lilly and Co stated that complete study results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at a medical conference next year.

In the Copenhagen market, Novo-Nordisk A/S's stock price dropped by 1.8% at one point, having risen by about 11% this year. Eli Lilly and Co's stock price rose by 2% before the opening of the US market.

Although Novo-Nordisk was the first to sell GLP-1 drugs to combat obesity, these findings also provide opportunities for Eli Lilly to catch up in a market projected to reach $130 billion by the end of this decade. To maintain its lead, Novo-Nordisk is testing a new generation compound called CagriSema, aiming to help patients lose at least 25% of their weight.

Research shows that the more weight patients lose, the lower their risk of related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Eli Lilly's study may help persuade doctors, patients, and cost-conscious insurance companies that Zepbound is a better long-term investment.

The trial involved 751 participants in the USA and Puerto Rico who received the highest doses of Zepbound or Wegovy. While the results achieved by Zepbound are consistent with previous trials cited on the drug label, the weight loss effects associated with Wegovy are at the lower end of the range in two other long-term trials.