Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly rolled out their GLP-1 obesity pills as they prepare for a broad Medicare rollout, signaling a major shift in how weight-management therapies reach seniors. At the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions, CNBC spoke with Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar and Lilly CEO Dave Ricks about how the competition is evolving and what the Medicare expansion could mean for patients and payers. Starting July 1, millions of people with Medicare will be able to access GLP-1 obesity drugs for about $50 a month, a change from prior out-of-pocket costs that could run into hundreds of dollars monthly.
Novo Nordisk reported that Wegovy prescriptions have topped 3 million in the United States since its market entry roughly five months ago, a milestone Doustdar celebrated in a CNBC interview at the ADA meeting. He credited the momentum to faster uptake even as Lilly launched its own GLP-1 pill in April. “If that’s not acceleration, then I don’t know what is,” Doustdar said, underscoring the brisk pace of adoption amid intensifying rivalry.
Ricks countered that Lilly’s pill Foundayo is seeing prescriptions “markedly higher” than the 20,000 figure Lilly reported around six weeks earlier during its first-quarter earnings release, though he did not provide a fresh tally. He added that the number is growing week over week and expressed satisfaction with progress. The two companies are continuing their competition as they present their cases to seniors at the ADA forum.
The broader GLP-1 race is reshaping how obesity care is viewed within health care, with debates over convenience, dosing, and cost taking center stage for seniors who will gain new access via Medicare. Advertising at the convention center underscored the clash: Wegovy imagery for Novo and Foundayo for Lilly on display as the rivals make their case.
Novo’s strategy includes highlighting Wegovy’s expanded label benefits, including cardiovascular risk reduction. Doustdar argued that seniors could prefer Wegovy given its demonstrated efficacy and broader protections, framing this as sensible in a Medicare context.
Lilly’s case rests on ease of use. Ricks described Foundayo as easier to fit into daily routines because it can be taken with food and water at any time, while Wegovy requires fasting and timing around meals. He emphasized collaboration with the government and confidence in Humana to process prescriptions efficiently.
Both companies see the Medicare pilot as a potential precedent for how obesity care is treated by insurers and health plans. Ricks noted that cost-effectiveness will be essential to demonstrate, with implications for how obesity care is integrated into standard health coverage. Cigna recently said it would stop covering these medicines for its own employees, illustrating mixed payer responses.
Lilly is conducting internal studies to gauge health costs and outcomes, including hospitalization rates, diabetes progression, and cardiovascular events, with results expected later this year. Ricks said Lilly plans to publish findings and to make the drug available in key markets where policies permit.
Beyond Wegovy and Foundayo, the GLP-1 race is expanding to other candidates, including retatrutide, an experimental triple agonist presented by Lilly with promising weight-loss data in Phase 3. Retatrutide’s performance has drawn investor attention, even as analysts weigh its relative efficacy against Wegovy and other competitors.
For Novo, the next major candidate is CagriSema, which combines Wegovy’s main ingredient with cagrilintide. Novo aims for a late-year FDA decision and remains committed to bringing the product to market if approved, aiming to reinforce momentum in cardiometabolic health.
Doustdar acknowledged the leadership transition at Novo Nordisk and the push to diversify beyond Wegovy into adjacent areas of cardiometabolic care, including diabetes. He said the company’s recent successes must translate into durable, long-term growth rather than a temporary rebound.
As the Medicare rollout unfolds, investors will be watching which company translates early access into sustained demand, cost management, and profitability in an increasingly crowded field. The ADA sessions highlighted how policy changes, payer decisions, and patient access converge to shape obesity care’s trajectory.
