Eli Lilly launches new Zepbound pen with month of doses

(Sharecast News) - Eli Lilly & Co on Monday unveiled a new multi-dose form of its blockbuster obesity drug Zepbound, allowing patients to receive a months' worth of doses in a single pen. Shares were up 3.6% at $1,046.06 in early deals on Wall Street, supported by the news that Novo Nordisk's new weight-loss treatment CagriSema failed to beat Zepbound in a clinical trial.

Novo Nordisk said novel treatment CagriSema - a once-weekly injection combining two molecules -- achieved 23% weight loss after 84 weeks of treatment in an open-label phase 3 trial. In contrast, patients who were given 15mg of tirzepatide achieved 25.5% weight loss. Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound.

Zepbound, already the most prescribed injectable obesity-management medication, is now available via KwikPen, according to the FDA, meaning it can deliver a full month of treatment in one device.

Eli Lilly, which says adult patients can lose up to 50 pounds on average with Zepbound, said the KwikPen option is "expanding choice and helping ensure patients and healthcare providers can select the option that best fits individual needs, preferences, and circumstances".

"As part of our commitment to supporting people living with obesity in their weight management journey, we are introducing a new option with the Zepbound KwikPen, a device trusted by patients globally and in the United States for other Lilly medicines," said Eli Lilly executive vice president Ilya Yuffa.