Weight-loss-drug frenzy lures rich Indians to brave the gray market
The race to score blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound is pushing one of the world’s largest population of people with obesity to creative lengths.
The race to score blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound is pushing one of the world’s largest population of people with obesity to creative lengths.
The Indianapolis-based drugmaker said Thursday it was taking legal action against at least six additional medical spas and weight loss centers that it claimed are selling counterfeit and compounded versions of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Lilly’s diabetes treatment Mounjaro and weight-loss treatment Zepbound.
At issue is whether a drug developed by Point Biopharma, based in Indianapolis, infringed on a patent issued in 2020 and assigned to Purdue Research Foundation.
If the FDA agrees with the panel’s recommendation, the drug, donanemab, would only be the second Alzheimer’s drug cleared in the U.S. that’s been shown to convincingly slow cognitive decline and memory problems due to Alzheimer’s.
Lilly officials have said they are “incredibly confident” in the drug’s potential and the fact that it “offers very meaningful benefits to people with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease.”
Anat Ashkenazi was Lilly’s third-highest paid executive last year. She has worked at the company for 23 years, including as chief financial officer since 2021.
If the guidance is confirmed, Mounjaro will challenge the dominance of Novo’s Wegovy in the United Kingdom.
Eli Lilly and Co. plans to build the center on an existing parking lot at its downtown campus, with the goal of hosting more of its global meetings in Indianapolis.
Lilly said the new investment will allow it to hire 200 more workers at the complex, including engineers, scientists, and lab technicians, for a total of 900 full-time workers when it is fully operational.
The pharmaceutical weight-loss market is predicted to reach at least $100 billion by 2030, according to Goldman Sachs.
In a series of lawsuits Lilly filed in September and October in federal court, the drugmaker had accused Totality Medispa of trademark infringement, false advertising, unfair competition and unfair trade practices.
Lilly’s newest obesity and diabetes medicines, widely known as GLP-1 drugs, are drawing rave reviews from doctors, researchers and patients for their ability to safely and effectively control blood sugar and take off weight.
Eli Lilly and Novo are leading now, but there are multiple drug candidates waiting in the wings that could disrupt that duopoly in the future.
Doctors and pharmacies have reported huge demand for Mounjaro and Zepbound in recent months, causing widespread shortages of the popular drugs.
Meanwhile, demand for Lilly’s Zephound and Mounjaro is leading to a shortage of the drugs that is expected to last until at least mid-year, the FDA said in an update Wednesday.
Roche and Lilly said they believe the test could play an important role in improving access to early and accurate Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Eli Lilly’s Skills First initiative is made up of four apprenticeship programs that prepare people for positions in manufacturing, IT, research labs, marketing, or administrative services.
The Indianapolis-based drugmaker, which makes weight-loss drug Zepbound and diabetes drug Mounjaro, recently aired a new 30-second spot, just ahead of the Academy Awards, to underscore the message.
The call for additional scrutiny surprised Lilly executives, who noted that it is unusual for such a review to occur after the FDA has given an anticipated date to make a decision on approval. An OK for the drug had been expected this month.
Millions of Americans who have dropped pounds and boosted their health using popular obesity drugs like Wegovy and Eli Lilly and Co.’s Mounjaro and Zepbound are finding out what happens when they stop taking them.