Novo Nordisk's stock price fell, research shows that Eli Lilly's weight loss drug is more effective
Research shows that compared to patients taking Ozempic by Novo Nordisk, patients taking Mounjaro by Eli Lilly have a 76% higher chance of losing at least 5% of their body weight, more than double the chance of losing at least 10% of their body weight, and more than triple the chance of losing at least 15% of their body weight
A research analysis shows that Eli Lilly's weight loss drug is more effective than Novo Nordisk's, causing Novo Nordisk's stock price to fall in pre-market trading.
On Tuesday, the manufacturer of the popular weight loss drug Wegovy, Novo Nordisk, saw its US stock price drop by 1.64% in pre-market trading.
Previously, a study published on Monday in the "Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine" showed that Eli Lilly's competitor, Novo Nordisk, had a more significant effect in weight loss with their treatment drug Mounjaro.
The study reviewed health records and other data to evaluate the weight loss speed and percentage of overweight and obese individuals receiving tirzepatide (the active ingredient in Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound) and semaglutide (the main ingredient in Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic) treatments.
Researchers analyzed the weight loss trajectories of 9,193 patients receiving Mounjaro treatment and an equal number of matched patients receiving Ozempic treatment, with about half of them having type 2 diabetes.
After considering individual risk factors, the report showed that patients taking Mounjaro were 76% more likely to lose at least 5% of their body weight compared to those taking Ozempic, more than twice as likely to lose at least 10% of their body weight, and more than three times as likely to lose at least 15% of their body weight.
Some researchers pointed out that both Ozempic and Mounjaro are used for patients with type 2 diabetes, but half of the study participants only used these drugs for weight loss, which could affect the study results.
In response, Novo Nordisk stated in an email to the media: "This analysis only compares the weight loss outcomes of semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), but does not include Wegovy." They also noted that the best way to compare the two weight loss drugs is through "head-to-head" clinical trials, which have not been completed yet. Eli Lilly did not immediately respond to this