Updated
Updated · The Motley Fool · Jul 14
Eli Lilly's Foundayo Stalls at 19,550 Prescriptions, Lagging Oral Wegovy's 105,000
Updated
Updated · The Motley Fool · Jul 14

Eli Lilly's Foundayo Stalls at 19,550 Prescriptions, Lagging Oral Wegovy's 105,000

1 articles · Updated · The Motley Fool · Jul 14

Summary

  • Foundayo's weekly prescription growth has been flat for five straight weeks, reaching 19,550 in its 13th week after launch, according to Jefferies-cited IQVIA data.
  • That trails Novo Nordisk's oral Wegovy pill, which topped 105,000 prescriptions at the same post-launch point, suggesting a much stronger early rollout for Novo's oral obesity drug.
  • Coverage and familiarity may explain part of the gap: oral Wegovy uses the same semaglutide as Novo's injectables, while Foundayo is a new GLP-1 product and gained major pharmacy-benefit-manager coverage later.
  • Lilly still has potential advantages in the oral market because Foundayo lacks the food and beverage restrictions tied to oral Wegovy, even as Lilly already holds about 60% of the U.S. GLP-1 market.

Insights

Does Foundayo's easier manufacturing give it a key long-term advantage over Novo Nordisk's oral Wegovy?
Is Foundayo's slow start a fatal misstep or a calculated move in the $100 billion war on obesity?