Eli Lilly and Co.'s (NYSE:LLY) Zepbound (tirzepatide) is reshaping the competitive landscape in obesity treatment, challenging Novo Nordisk A/S' (NYSE:NVO) Wegovy (semaglutide) for market dominance.
According to a GlobalData report, Zepbound's superior effectiveness and strategic market growth position it to potentially overtake Wegovy as the leading therapy for obesity.
Since its debut, Zepbound has expanded its scope beyond obesity treatment. In December 2024, the FDA approved the drug for treating obstructive sleep apnea.
Ongoing studies are exploring additional indications, such as reducing cardiovascular risks, addressing chronic kidney disease, and treating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
GlobalData's Pharma Analyst, Costanza Alciati, highlighted that Eli Lilly is emulating Novo Nordisk's approach by exploring multiple therapeutic areas to broaden Zepbound's market potential.
Wegovy has been a game-changer in the obesity sector, earning widespread recognition and driving significant investment in the field. Over 400 companies are now developing obesity therapies inspired by Wegovy's success. The drug is also approved for managing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risks, with further research focusing on conditions like chronic kidney disease.
Despite Wegovy's achievements, Alciati remarked that Zepbound is "raising the bar" with greater potency and potential cost-effectiveness, making it a formidable contender in the obesity market.
In parallel, healthcare costs in the U.S. are climbing rapidly. Aon plc's (NYSE:AON) August report projects a 9% increase in employer-sponsored healthcare costs for 2025, exceeding $16,000 per employee.
This surge surpasses the 6.4% rise from 2023 to 2024, driven by higher medical claims, rising prescription drug expenses, and inflation-related adjustments.
Specialty drugs, particularly GLP-1 medications like tirzepatide and semaglutide, are key drivers of these rising costs. Aon's analysis reveals that these medications could add 1% to overall healthcare cost increases.
Despite their low utilization, these therapies significantly impact employer healthcare budgets.
On average, U.S. employers cover 81% of health plan costs, leaving employees to pay 19%, amounting to $4,858 annually, including premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.
In 2024, employer healthcare budgets grew by 6.4%, while employee premiums increased by a more modest 3.4%, according to Aon's analysis.
The technology and communications sector experienced the highest employer cost increase at 7.4% in 2024, while public sector employees faced the steepest rise in contributions at 6.7%.
In contrast, the healthcare industry saw no material change in employee contributions.
High-cost claims stemming from gene and cell therapies, complex medical procedures, and chronic conditions further strain employer budgets.
Price Action: LLY stock is up 0.88% at $778.79 during the premarket session at the last check on Thursday.
礼来（纽约证券交易所代码：LLY）Zepbound（tirzepatide）正在重塑肥胖治疗领域的竞争格局，挑战诺和诺德A/S（纽约证券交易所代码：NVO）Wegovy（西玛鲁肽）争夺市场主导地位。
根据GlobalData的一份报告，Zepbound的卓越疗效和战略市场增长使其有可能取代Wegovy成为领先的肥胖疗法。
自首次亮相以来，Zepbound已将其范围扩展到肥胖治疗以外。2024年12月，美国食品药品管理局批准了该药物用于治疗阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停。
正在进行的研究正在探索其他适应症，例如降低心血管风险、治疗慢性肾脏疾病以及治疗与代谢功能障碍相关的脂肪肝炎（MASH）。
GlobalData的制药分析师科斯坦扎·阿尔恰蒂强调，礼来公司正在效仿诺和诺德的方法，探索多个治疗领域，以扩大Zepbound的市场潜力。
Wegovy改变了肥胖领域的游戏规则，赢得了广泛认可，并推动了该领域的重大投资。受Wegovy成功启发，目前有400多家公司正在开发肥胖疗法。该药物还被批准用于管理2型糖尿病和心血管风险，进一步的研究重点是慢性肾脏病等疾病。
尽管Wegovy取得了成就，但Alciati表示，Zepbound正在 “提高标准”，具有更大的效力和潜在的成本效益，使其成为肥胖市场的强大竞争者。
同时，美国的医疗保健成本正在迅速攀升。怡安集团（纽约证券交易所代码：AON）8月份的报告预计，到2025年，雇主赞助的医疗费用将增加9％，超过每位员工16,000美元。
这一增长超过了2023年至2024年6.4％的涨幅，这得益于医疗索赔增加、处方药支出增加以及与通货膨胀相关的调整。
特种药物，尤其是替塞帕肽和索玛鲁肽等 GLP-1 药物，是成本上涨的关键驱动力。怡安的分析显示，这些药物可能会使总体医疗成本增加1％。
尽管利用率很低，但这些疗法对雇主的医疗保健预算产生了重大影响。
平均而言，美国雇主承担健康计划费用的81％，使员工每年支付19％，总额为4,858美元，包括保费和自付费用。
怡安的分析显示，2024年，雇主的医疗保健预算增长了6.4％，而员工保费增长了3.4％。
2024年，科技和通信行业的雇主成本增幅最大，为7.4％，而公共部门雇员的缴款增长幅度最大，为6.7％。
相比之下，医疗保健行业的员工缴款没有实质性变化。
基因和细胞疗法、复杂的医疗程序和慢性病引起的高成本索赔进一步给雇主的预算带来了压力。
价格走势：在周四的最后一次盘前交易中，LLY股价上涨0.88％，至778.79美元。
