{
  "id": 3641237,
  "title": "Eli Lilly vs Novo Nordisk: One Winner in The Weight-Loss Drug Gold Rush",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/eli-lilly-vs-novo-nordisk-one-winner-in-the-weight-loss-drug-gold-rush",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-25T14:30:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Finance",
    "slug": "yahoo-finance",
    "url": "https://finance.yahoo.com/healthcare/articles/eli-lilly-vs-novo-nordisk-143022912.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk both released their Q2 2026 results in early August, but the contrasting performances were striking. Lilly reported a robust 48% revenue growth and lifted its guidance, while Novo Nordisk attempted to manage a shrinking U.S. business through price cuts, layoffs, and a new pipeline. Novo's international performance was noteworthy, with China growing by 93% at constant currency and the rest of the world increasing by 136%. Lilly's GLP-1 medications, particularly Mounjaro and Zepbound, dominated the U.S. obesity market, accounting for around 6 out of every 10 prescriptions. The company is targeting a U.S. biologics license application (BLA) submission for its triple-acting GLP-1 drug, Retatrutide, in Q1 2027. Novo Nordisk's quarter was more challenging, with adjusted gross margins falling to 78.2% from 82.7% a year earlier. However, the company's weight-loss pill, Wegovy, showed strong performance, reaching over 5 million total prescriptions and capturing nearly 90% of the oral obesity market. Novo is focusing on defense tactics, including a DKK 6.3 billion non-cash impairment, retiring monlunabant, and grappling with the MACE hazard ratio of 0.99 for its new GLP-1 drug, Orforglipron. The next 12 months will be crucial for both companies, with Lilly's manufacturing progress, Novo's price cuts, and the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge Program impacting their respective strategies.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}