Mounjaro, Zepbound Boost Eli Lilly’s Q2 Performance

Eli Lilly surpassed second-quarter expectations, with the diabetes treatment Mounjaro and its weight loss counterpart Zepbound generating more than $4 billion in sales for the drugmaker, as reported by Tom Murphy for the Associated Press (AP).

Mounjaro sales outside the U.S. exceeded expectations. I Photo: Eli Lilly

Lilly also raised its forecast for the year well beyond Wall Street expectations as newer drugs like Zepbound gained momentum.

The company’s shares soared before markets opened Thursday after Lilly released its quarterly results. Mounjaro sales more than tripled in the quarter, reaching nearly $3.1 billion.

Zepbound, which is made from the same molecule, brought in $1.2 billion two quarters after regulators approved the drug.

Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger noted that insurance coverage of Zepbound is improving, and Mounjaro sales outside the U.S. exceeded expectations.

Supply problems that hampered access earlier this year also appear to be easing. Lilly noted that all doses of Zepbound are currently listed as available on a U.S. regulator website that details drug shortages.

Sales of the breast cancer treatment Verzenio also climbed 44% to $1.3 billion.

TD Cowen analyst Steve Scala said in a separate note that nearly all of the company’s key products exceeded sales expectations for the quarter, including the insulin Humalog, which brought in $632 million in revenue.