close
close

The US FDA says there is no longer a shortage of Lilly's weight loss drug

Oct 2 (Reuters) – Eli Lilly's (LLY.N)opens new tab The blockbuster weight-loss drug is no longer in short supply in the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website showed Wednesday.

The shortage of all doses of the drug tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight control, has been resolved, the FDA said.

As products move through the supply chain, patients and prescribers may still experience occasional local shortages, the agency said.

Lilly did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Mounjaro has been on the FDA's deficiency list since late 2022, while Zepbound was added to the list in April this year.

The drugmaker had started selling vials containing the lowest starting dose of Zepbound in the United States through its direct-to-consumer website to increase its availability in the market.
The increasing demand for Mounjaro and Zepbound has led Lilly to invest billions of dollars to increase their production. Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO)opens new tabwhich makes rival drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, is also working to increase supply to meet unprecedented demand.

The FDA typically evaluates the market for a drug and assesses whether all backlogs for the drug have been met before deciding whether a shortage has been resolved.

The health authority said it had confirmed with Lilly that current supply and production capacity could meet current and projected national demand for the drug.

Originally developed for diabetes, GLP-1 therapies have been shown in studies to reduce weight by up to 20%. Some analysts estimate that the market for these therapies could reach $150 billion by the early 2030s.

Both Lilly and Novo are expanding production at their existing facilities, building or purchasing new manufacturing sites and seeking additional contracts with contract drug manufacturers to increase supply.

Earlier in the day, Lilly said it is investing $4.5 billion to create a new center in Indiana that will focus on developing new ways to make its drugs and increasing production of experimental drugs for clinical trials.

Sign in Here.

Reporting by Mariam Sunny and Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.opens new tab

Acquire license rights

You may also like...