Eli Lilly 3Q Revenue Climbs on Demand for Obesity Drugs — Update

By Kelly Cloonan

Eli Lilly's quarterly revenue jumped on surging demand for its diabetes and obesity drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound.

The third-quarter results topped Wall Street's expectations, and prompted the pharmaceutical company to boost its full-year revenue guidance for the third time this year.

The stock gained 6.2% to $1,368.27 on Thursday. Shares are now up 28% year to date.

In the third quarter, sales for Mounjaro gained 65% year over year to $10.72 billion, while Zepbound sales climbed 49% to $5.35 billion. Lilly attributed the growth to strong demand for the drugs, which offset lower prices.

Lilly pointed to a boost from the Bridge program, a Medicare coverage expansion that offers weight-loss drugs like Lilly's Zepbound and Foundayo, as well as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, to eligible beneficiaries for a monthly copay.

Lilly executives said the company's drugs have performed well in the program, which kicked off in July, with a majority of new Bridge patients starting on one of its medicines.

"It's performing above our expectations," said Ilya Yuffa, president of Lilly USA and global customer capabilities, during a call with analysts. Yuffa added that the company sees opportunity to further expand access and utilization of the drugs through the program.

The strength in Mounjaro and Zepbound sales drove Lilly's overall revenue up 39% to $24.4 billion in the quarter, above FactSet analyst estimates of $22.58 billion.

Lilly's third-quarter profit came in at $6.45 billion, or $7.22 a share, compared with $5.58 billion, or $6.21 a share, a year earlier.

Adjusted earnings per share were $7.48, compared with analyst estimates of $5.68, according to FactSet.

For the full year, Lilly now expects revenue between $91 billion to $92 billion, up from a prior view of $85 billion to $87 billion.

The company also updated its profit guidance to factor in acquired in-process research-and-development charges, now forecasting adjusted earnings per share of $35 to $36, compared with $35.50 to $36.50 previously.

Write to Kelly Cloonan at kelly.cloonan@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 29, 2026 12:23 ET (16:23 GMT)