Eli Lilly CEO Says Medicare Coverage Of Obesity Drugs Could Be Game-Changer For Its Weight-Loss Pill

Medicare's upcoming sum of obesity treatments could dramatically grow entree to Eli Lilly's (NYSE:LLY) experimental weight-loss pill, orforglipron, CEO Dave Ricks said Friday.

In an interrogation with CNBC, Ricks said that the caller argumentation volition let Medicare beneficiaries to entree obesity drugs "immediately pursuing launch" of the company's highly anticipated experimental weight-loss drug, Orforglipron.

With 20 cardinal to 30 cardinal Medicare patients perchance qualifying, the programme could marque GLP-1 treatments acold much affordable and wide used.

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The institution is acceptable to motorboat orforglipron successful the 2nd quarter, coinciding with Medicare sum taking effect aboriginal this year.

While cause pricing agreements volition initially bring a "step down" successful costs, Ricks expects measurement maturation to accelerate successful the 2nd fractional of 2026 arsenic much patients summation coverage.

Ricks noted that aboriginal users of rival Novo Nordisk's (NYSE:NVO) Wegovy are mostly caller to GLP-1 treatments, highlighting untapped demand.

He expressed assurance that Lilly's pill tin vie and scope "more patients" beyond existing injection users.

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Novo Nordisk importantly ramped up U.S. advertizing for its GLP-1 blockbusters Wegovy and Ozempic successful 2025, outspending Eli Lilly arsenic contention successful the obesity and diabetes markets heated up.

According to MediaRadar information cited by Reuters, Novo Nordisk spent an estimated $316 cardinal connected Wegovy and $169 cardinal connected Ozempic from January done September 2025, up 54% and 44% from the aforesaid play successful 2024.

By comparison, Eli Lilly spent astir $131 cardinal promoting its obesity cause Zepbound, up from $2 cardinal the anterior year, and $83 cardinal connected its diabetes attraction Mounjaro.

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and Co. are some scheduled to study fourth-quarter net connected Wednesday, Feb. 4, earlier the marketplace opens.

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