April 17 (Reuters) – Eli Lilly’s newly launched obesity pill was prescribed 1,390 times in the U.S. as of the week ended April 10, according to an analyst who cited IQVIA data.
Novo Nordisk’s oral Wegovy had hit 3,071 U.S. prescriptions in the first four days after its launch on January 5.
Investors have been closely watching the data as competition intensifies between Lilly and its Danish rival for a larger share of the obesity market, which has been dominated by blockbuster injectibles.
Novo’s pill was prescribed 113,354 times in same week compared to 105,366 prescriptions in the prior week, according to IQVIA. The analytics firm did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.
Novo’s oral Wegovy has been on the market since January.
The findings offer insight into the performance of oral drugs as drugmakers shift towards cash-pay consumer models.
Foundayo was approved on April 1, with prescriptions accepted immediately on LillyDirect, while shipping started on April 6. Broad availability through U.S. retail pharmacies and telehealth providers started April 9.
According to Guggenheim analysts, Lilly has cautioned it expects volatility in capture rates on both daily and weekly data at launch. The weekly data includes a larger sample of retail prescriptions and a sample of telehealth, Lilly Direct and mail order.
Shares of Eli Lilly rose nearly 3% in premarket trading. The company did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)
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