Lilly CEO David Ricks said 700,000 seniors have started GLP-1 treatment since Medicare’s temporary Bridge program began covering obesity drugs in July; seven in 10 chose a Lilly drug. Eligible members pay $50 monthly, and the program runs through 2027.
Ricks said doctors steer patients with the highest body weight and the most health complications toward the Zepbound injection, and many remain on it. Foundayo, Lilly’s pill launched in April, accounts for about a third of new oral GLP-1 starts, a share Ricks said was growing weekly; it generated $98 million in its first full quarter on sale, CNBC reported.
To meet demand, Lilly began building a $6.5 billion Houston factory on Sept. 21; it will make the drug’s main ingredient and is expected to open by 2030. In Q2, Lilly held about 61% of the combined U.S. obesity-and-diabetes drug market, versus Novo Nordisk’s roughly 39%, CNBC reported. Bridge expires at the end of 2027 unless renewed. Without insurance, the drugs cost about $1,000 a month; the article says use by one million seniors would strain the federal budget and lead the government to seek lower prices.
