Eli Lilly’s (LLY) Weight Loss Drug Outperforms Rival Novo Nordisk in First Head-to-Head Study

People taking Eli Lilly’s (LLY) weight loss drug Zepbound lost nearly 50% more weight than those using rival Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, according to the first head-to-head study of the medications.

Clinical trial participants who took Zepbound lost an average of 50 pounds over 72 weeks, while those who took Wegovy lost 33 pounds. That’s according to the study that has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Both drugs are part of a new class of weight loss medications that regulate appetite and feelings of fullness. Regardless of the study’s outcome, analyst say both Zepbound and Wegovy are breakthrough medications for treating obesity that impacts about 40% of American adults.

Weight Loss Pill

The trial, which was funded by Eli Lilly, included 751 participants from across the U.S. who were overweight or had obesity. Participants received weekly injections of the highest tolerated doses of Zepbound or Wegovy. By the end of the trial, people who took Zepbound lost about 20% of their body weight ,on average, compared with a nearly 14% loss for those who took Wegovy.

The weight loss drugs have proven to be extremely popular, with at least one in eight U.S. adults (12.5%) reporting using them. Zepbound generated $4.9 billion in global sales in 2024, while Wegovy posted worldwide sales of $8.8 billion. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are each developing a pill version of their respective weight loss drugs, which are taken by injection currently.

LLY stock has declined 3% this year.

Is LLY Stock a Buy?

The stock of Eli Lilly has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation among 20 Wall Street analysts. That rating is based on 18 Buy, one Hold, and one Sell recommendations issued in the last 12 months. The average LLY price target of $983.13 implies 31.06% upside from current levels.

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