US FDA approves Eli Lilly’s weight-loss pill

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new diet pill from Eli Lilly, marking the second oral treatment on the market after Wegovy from Denmark’s Novo Nordisk.

Eli Lilly’s drug, to be sold under the brand name Foundayo, is designed to mimic the appetite-suppressing hormone GLP-1.

The company said the treatment will be available to order from 6 April through its LillyDirect programme. The lowest dose will cost $149 a month for those paying out of pocket. It is also expected to become available shortly afterwards through pharmacies and telemedicine providers, the Indianapolis-based group said.

Shares in Eli Lilly rose by four per cent following the announcement, while Novo Nordisk’s US-listed stock fell by nearly two per cent. The Danish company was an early mover in GLP-1 treatments with Ozempic, for diabetes, and Wegovy, for obesity.

Oral weight-loss drugs are not expected to replace injectable treatments entirely, but analysts estimate they could account for around 20 per cent of the market by 2030.

(reuters, luc)