Zepbound tops Wegovy for weight loss in Eli Lilly study

Shares of Eli Lilly climbed early Wednesday after the drugmaker detailed a study showing that its blockbuster weight-loss drug Zepbound helped patients shed more pounds than Wegovy from rival Novo Nordisk. Lilly said patients taking Zepbound lost about 20% of their weight on average compared to nearly 14% for Wegovy. The drugmaker also said more patients taking Zepbound achieved at least 25% weight loss. The results affirm what separate studies for each drug had already indicated. Even so, Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger says the results released Wednesday should help fuel Zepbound’s accelerating market-share gains.