Eli Lilly smashes Q1 estimates on Mounjaro and Zepbound sales
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The news: Eli Lilly’s profits and revenue grew strongly during the first quarter as consumer demand for its weight-loss drugs boosted performance.
The numbers: The pharmaceutical company reported that sales of its diabetes drug Mounjaro more than doubled to USD8.7 billion ($12.17 billion), while sales of its weight-loss drug Zepbound climbed 79% to USD4.1 billion.
Overall Eli Lilly’s Q1 sales lifted 56% to USD19.8 billion from one year ago, well ahead of analyst forecasts of USD17.82 billion cited by the WSJ. US revenue climbed 43% to USD12.1 billion, with the company noting that the increase was partially offset by lower prices for Zepbound and other medications.
The company lifted its full-year sales outlook by USD2 billion and expects its full-year earnings per share guidance to come in between USD35.50 and USD37, an increase on the previous range of USD33.50 to USD35 per share.
The context: Investors in the weight loss drug leader will be closely watching for any updates about the company’s weight loss pill, Foundayo, which was approved by regulators and launched earlier in April. It was not included in Q1 results.
On Thursday, David A Ricks, Eli Lilly chair and CEO told CNBC that over 20,000 people have started taking the pill in its first few weeks on the market, at a rate of over 1,000 people per day starting the drug.
What they said: “2026 is off to a strong start, we delivered 56% revenue growth in the first quarter and raised our full-year revenue guidance by USD2 billion,” said Ricks. “A key milestone was the US FDA approval of Foundayo — the only approved GLP-1 pill that can be taken any time of day, without food and water restrictions. Foundayo will meaningfully expand the number of people who can benefit from GLP-1s. We also delivered pipeline progress across all four therapeutic areas and continued investing in Lilly’s future growth through four acquisitions.”
The sources: Eli Lilly earnings, CNBC, FT, WSJ
