Eli Lilly (LLY, Financials), the pharmaceutical company behind several diabetes and weight-loss treatments, is off to a slower start than expected with its new obesity pill.
U.S. prescription data for the week ended July 3 showed about 19,550 prescriptions for Lilly's Foundayo, compared with roughly 153,050 for Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill, according to IQVIA.
That gave Wegovy about 89% of the market, while Foundayo held 11%.
Novo had a head start, but the gap remains wide even when comparing the same point in each drug's rollout. Wegovy recorded about 105,000 prescriptions in its 13th week on the market, more than five times Foundayo's total at the same stage.
The slower launch has already changed Wall Street expectations. Deutsche Bank cut its 2026 Foundayo sales forecast to $1.3 billion from about $3 billion. Meanwhile, analysts have raised their estimates for Wegovy pill sales.
Lilly said prescriptions could improve as doctors and patients become more familiar with Foundayo. The next few months will show whether Lilly can close the gap or whether Novo keeps its early lead.