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April 30 (Reuters) – Eli Lilly raised its annual profit forecast and posted better-than-expected first quarter on Thursday, on steady demand for its weight-loss and diabetes drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro, in its first results since launching oral GLP-1 pill Foundayo.
Investor expectations for Lilly are anchored around whether the U.S. drugmaker can keep translating demand for its obesity and diabetes drugs into revenue while navigating lower prices, government deals and the rollout of its weight-loss pill. Lilly’s once-daily oral weight-loss drug, Foundayo, was launched earlier this month and was prescribed 3,707 times in the U.S. in the week ended April 17, below analysts’ expectations closer to around 8,000. Investors are closely watching the rollout as a key test of whether Lilly can gain market share from rival Novo, which has had a first-mover advantage in the oral weight-loss drug market.
“Foundayo will meaningfully expand the number of people who can benefit from GLP-1s,” CEO David Ricks said in a statement.
Lilly expects to earn $35.50 to $37.00 per share on an adjusted basis this year, compared to its prior view of $33.50 to $35 per share profit.
Analysts were expecting a profit of $34.55 per share for 2026, according to data compiled by LSEG.
(Reporting by Christy Santhosh and Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
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