Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks told CNBC that Medicare’s planned coverage of obesity drugs later this year will be a “game changer” for orforglipron, Lilly’s experimental oral GLP-1 pill. The company expects coverage to begin immediately after its second-quarter launch, dramatically reducing out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries who are currently paying cash for competitor products. Ricks noted that early adopters of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy have been almost entirely new to GLP-1 treatments, expanding the addressable patient population. Lilly’s internal forecasts project orforglipron could reach peak annual sales of $8 billion, assuming broad Medicare uptake and favorable formulary placement.

Lilly announced a $3.5 billion investment to build a manufacturing facility in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, dedicated to its next-generation obesity injections, including retatrutide. This marks the fourth site in Lilly’s ongoing U.S. capacity expansion, part of a $50 billion commitment since 2020. Construction is set to begin this year, with operations expected by 2031. The new plant will add 850 permanent R&D and production roles plus 2,000 construction jobs, ensuring sufficient supply to support projected demand growth of 20–25% annually in its obesity franchise through 2030.

In 2025 Eli Lilly increased its U.S. advertising spend on Zepbound and Mounjaro to approximately $214 million, up from $2 million on Zepbound in 2024. Despite being outspent nearly 2.3 to 1 by Novo Nordisk’s $487 million on Wegovy and Ozempic, Lilly captured roughly 60% of U.S. prescriptions for obesity drugs last year. Clinical data released by Lilly showed Zepbound patients lost 47% more weight than Wegovy users in a head-to-head trial, bolstering the company’s market position. Analysts forecast that sustained marketing investments combined with strong efficacy data could drive Lilly’s obesity segment revenue growth by 30% in 2026.