The data is the first head-to-head trial comparing the wildly popular medicines, and gives Lilly more firepower as it seeks to gain wider insurance coverage in an obesity drug market estimated to reach more than $150 billion annually by the next decade.

The momentum is now with Lilly. Visible Alpha, a data firm, expects its sales of obesity drugs to overtake Novo’s by 2027 (see chart 2). Lilly’s edge rests on a more effective drug, better execution, keener pricing and a stronger pipeline.

CVS Health said it will significantly expand access to Novo Nordisk's blockbuster weight loss drug Wegovy for patients covered by its pharmacy benefit manager, Caremark. Starting July 1, Caremark will prioritize Wegovy on its standard formularies — or lists of covered drugs — making it the preferred GLP-1 drug for obesity.

Shares of Eli Lilly jumped 16% Thursday morning after the pharmaceutical company released clinical trial results for its oral weight-loss drug that "demonstrated statistically significant efficacy results and a safety profile consistent with injectable GLP-1 medicines.

People taking Eli Lilly's obesity drug, Zepbound, lost nearly 50% more weight than those using rival Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in the first head-to-head study of the blockbuster medications. Clinical trial participants who took tirzepatide,

Eli Lilly & Co.’s obesity drug Zepbound helped people trim about two inches more off their waists than Novo Nordisk A/S’s Wegovy in the first head-to-head study of the rival medicines.

Eli Lilly's tirzepatide leads to 50% more weight loss compared to Novo Nordisk's semaglutide in 72-week study.

Preview in new tab Pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly ($LLY) and Novo Nordisk ($NVO) are engaged in a head-to-head battle to prove their supremacy in

Eli Lilly’s Zepbound led to 47% greater weight loss than Wegovy in a 72-week trial, yet retail sentiment turned bearish on Stocktwits amid heightened scrutiny on drug pricing following Trump’s vow to slash U.