礼来公司凭借其流行的肥胖症疗法替西帕肽(tirzepatide，品牌名为治疗糖尿病的Mounjaro及治疗减肥症的Zepbound)，在肥胖治疗领域迅速崛起，而与此同时，诺和诺德的下一代肥胖候选药物CagriSema的年终试验结果则导致了其股价下滑。As the year comes to a close, Wall Street has listed Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.US) as one of the best-performing companies among large pharmaceutical firms, while Novo-Nordisk A/S (NVO.US) has lagged due to a bleak outlook.
According to Zhichun Finance APP, as the year draws to a close, Wall Street has listed Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.US) as one of the best-performing companies among large pharmaceutical firms, while its closest competitor, Novo-Nordisk A/S (NVO.US), has lagged behind due to a dim outlook in the lucrative weight loss drug market.
Eli Lilly's stock price continues to soar this year, rising about 34% year-to-date, compared to the approximately 25% increase in the S&P 500 Index, while Novo-Nordisk has decreased by about 16%. In fact, this Indiana-based pharmaceutical company is one of the few large pharmaceutical companies that have achieved record growth this year.
Eli Lilly has rapidly risen in the obesity treatment field with its popular obesity therapy tirzepatide (branded as Mounjaro for diabetes treatment and Zepbound for weight loss), while Novo-Nordisk's next-generation obesity candidate CagriSema's end-of-year trial results have led to a decline in its stock price.
The USA FDA approved tirzepatide for weight loss at the end of last year, and this dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist achieved net sales of 11 billion dollars in the first nine months of 2024, a significant improvement compared to 3 billion dollars in net sales in 2023.
The competing product from Novo-Nordisk, semaglutide, is sold under the names Ozempic for diabetes treatment and Wegovy for weight loss, and during the same period, its sales increased by 124.8 billion Danish Krone (17.4 billion dollars), representing a year-on-year growth of 43%.
Although Eli Lilly's third quarter Earnings Reports released in October were disappointing, its stock has also risen about 32% from last month's low. The previous week, Novo-Nordisk announced phase three data for CagriSema, raising Wall Street's doubts about its prospects in the weight loss drug market.
Novo-Nordisk's data did not meet Wall Street's expectations, while Eli Lilly's new generation weight loss therapy retatrutide is stealing the spotlight. Retatrutide is designed to target GLP/GIP and glucagon receptors, resulting in more effective weight loss.
Seeking Alpha contributor JR Research commented: "The study of CagriSema brings another untimely setback for Novo-Nordisk, and investors are giving more credibility to the high performance standards achieved by Eli Lilly's new generation retatrutide product."
Analysts pointed out that CagriSema reduced weight by about 23% over 68 weeks, whereas retatrutide enabled patients to lose about 24% of their weight within 48 weeks in mid-term trials.
Despite recent setbacks for Novo-Nordisk, JR Research has reaffirmed its "Buy" rating for the company, believing that its market leadership will not be challenged in the short term. The Analyst added, "Novo-Nordisk has several opportunities to expand its weight loss drug indications and may further expand its TAM."
