Story perspectives

Lilly Raises Forecast, Beats Q1 Sales, Announces $17B Deals

5/1/2026

Summary

Lilly Raises Forecast

Eli Lilly raised its 2026 sales forecast to $85 billion and its profit outlook to $35.50-$37 per share.
The FDA proposed to bar semaglutide and tirzepatide from bulk compounding, protecting obesity drugmakers from copycat versions.
Mounjaro posted $8.7 billion in first-quarter sales, beating the $7.2 billion estimate, while Zepbound posted $4.2 billion, beating the $4 billion estimate.
Lilly announced acquisition deals worth $7.8 billion for Centessa, $7 billion for Kelonia, and $2.3 billion for Ajax.

Summary

Lilly Leads Market

Eli Lilly now holds just over 60% of the U.S. GLP-1 market, ahead of Novo’s 39.4% share.
Eighty percent of Foundayo prescriptions are for new GLP-1 patients, with CEO David Ricks saying price cuts are driving volume for the “big drug”.
Foundayo is under review in more than 40 countries, with Lilly seeking U.S. diabetes approval and analysts seeing oral GLP-1 pills as the next battleground against Novo’s Wegovy.

Summary

Lilly Secures Deal

Lilly secured a November deal with President Donald Trump’s administration to cut U.S. obesity-drug prices.
CEO Dave Ricks said each price cut spurred a rise in patient volume.
Two of the three largest U.S. pharmacy benefit managers will start covering Foundayo next month, widening access.
Patrik Jonsson said more than 12 telehealth firms dispense Foundayo, covering about 35% of launch volume, and early Indian generic data are boosting market growth.

Summary

Lilly Revenue Surge

Revenue rose 56% YoY to $19.80 billion, with U.S. sales up 43% to $12.1 billion.
International revenue jumped 81% to $7.7 billion, driven by a 95% surge in prescription volume.
Late-2024 supply constraints delayed global rollouts, moving launches to Q3-Q4 in Europe, China and Brazil.
Net income reached $7.40 billion ($8.26 per share) and adjusted EPS hit $8.55 for the quarter.

History

Historical Context

Early GLP-1 research in the 1990s led Amylin’s exenatide to win FDA approval in 2005, proving the receptor a drug target. Novo Nordisk’s liraglutide followed in 2010, launching the modern obesity-treatment market, while Eli Lilly’s semaglutide, approved in 2017, now dominates U.S. nationwide prescriptions with more than 25 million fills in 2023.

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Lilly Raises Forecast

Eli Lilly raised its 2026 sales forecast to $85 billion and its profit outlook to $35.50-$37 per share.
The FDA proposed to bar semaglutide and tirzepatide from bulk compounding, protecting obesity drugmakers from copycat versions.
Mounjaro posted $8.7 billion in first-quarter sales, beating the $7.2 billion estimate, while Zepbound posted $4.2 billion, beating the $4 billion estimate.
Lilly announced acquisition deals worth $7.8 billion for Centessa, $7 billion for Kelonia, and $2.3 billion for Ajax.

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