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Eli Lilly, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its weight loss drug. This signals the start of a new competition in the U.S. obesity treatment market, which has been dominated by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.
According to Bloomberg and other sources on November 8 (local time), the FDA approved Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, Zepbound, as an obesity treatment. The FDA stated, “Clinical trial results showed an average weight loss of 18% in patients who received the maximum dose of Zepbound.”
Zepbound is a drug with the same active ingredient as Mounzar, a diabetes treatment that Eli Lilly previously received FDA approval for, but with a different dosage for weight management. Eli Lilly applied for FDA approval after discovering that Mounzar also had weight loss effects. The company plans to launch Zepbound in the U.S. after Thanksgiving later this month, following this approval.
With the FDA’s approval of Zepbound, the growth of the obesity treatment market is expected to accelerate. Until now, the only drugs approved by the FDA for obesity treatment in the U.S. were Saxenda and Wegovy, both products of Novo Nordisk. Since the U.S. release of Wegovy in 2021, its popularity has skyrocketed, leading to a supply shortage. Novo Nordisk announced on November 2 that sales of Wegovy in the third quarter increased by 734% compared to the same period last year.
Eli Lilly has set the price for a one-month supply of Zepbound at $1,060, which is similar to the $1,020 price tag of its diabetes treatment Mounzar, and about 20% lower than the $1,350 price of its competitor, Wegovy. However, Eli Lilly explained that it plans to launch a discount program for certain patients with private insurance. David Ricks, CEO of Eli Lilly, said, “We are preparing for a big and bold launch by the end of the year, and will work hard to continuously expand our supply capacity to meet the demands of obese individuals.”
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BMO Capital Markets, a global investment bank based in Canada, has estimated the global weight loss drug market to be worth $100 billion by 2030. This is about 18 times the size of the erectile dysfunction treatment market, which includes drugs like Viagra. According to global market research firm Market.US, the global erectile dysfunction treatment market will be worth $5.3 billion by 2030. Wall Street expects that the impact of weight loss drugs will not only affect the diabetes and weight management markets, but also extend to the food and beverage industry, including snack companies, large supermarkets like Walmart and Target, and even the aviation industry. New York-based investment bank Jefferies recently reported that if the weight loss market expands, airlines’ operating profits could improve due to reduced fuel costs from lighter passengers. Fuel costs account for about 25% of an airline’s total costs. The weight loss effect is similar to airlines removing magazines or brochures from the cabin and introducing lightweight carts and seats.
Sheila Kahyaoglu, an aerospace analyst at Jefferies, analyzed, “If the average passenger weight decreases by 10 pounds (about 4.54 kg), the weight per flight will decrease by 1,790 pounds (812 kg), saving 27.5 million gallons of fuel annually. Applying the average fuel price for 2023, United Airlines could save $80 million (104.6 billion KRW) annually.”
Meanwhile, both Wegovy and Zepbound work by acting on hormones called ‘glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1)’ and ‘glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)’, suppressing appetite and regulating blood sugar. Both Wegovy and Zepbound are injectable drugs. Side effects include nausea, vomiting, and intestinal disorders, and there have been reports of potential depression and suicidal impulses in some cases.
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