Eli Lilly on Thursday reported first-quarter earnings and income that blew previous estimates and hiked its full-year gross sales outlook by $2 billion, as demand for its blockbuster weight reduction drug Zepbound and diabetes therapy Mounjaro spiked once more.
The pharmaceutical large now expects 2026 income to come back in between $82 billion and $85 billion, up from earlier steerage of $80 billion to $83 billion.
Lilly additionally tasks its full-year adjusted revenue to be between $35.50 to $37 per share. That compares with a earlier outlook of $33.50 to $35 per share.
Resilient demand for Zepbound and Mounjaro has helped gasoline a number of sturdy quarters for Lilly regardless of decrease costs for the drugs within the U.S.
David Ricks, chief government officer of Eli Lilly & Co., on the Semafor World Economic system Summit in the course of the Worldwide Financial Fund (IMF) and World Financial institution Spring conferences in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, April 17, 2026.
Aaron Schwartz | Bloomberg | Getty Photographs
Mounjaro’s worldwide income rose 125% to $8.66 billion for the quarter, together with U.S. gross sales of $4.2 billion. That surpassed the $7.26 billion in worldwide gross sales that analysts have been anticipating for the quarter, based on StreetAccount.
Zepbound, which entered the market roughly three years in the past, posted $4.16 billion in U.S. income for the primary quarter. That is up 80% from the year-earlier interval, as demand for the drug additionally rose whereas realized costs dropped. Analysts have been anticipating $4.04 billion in U.S. gross sales for Zepbound, based on StreetAccount.
Lilly is working to take care of its dominance within the booming marketplace for GLP-1 medication, with the corporate holding 60.1% share of the U.S. weight problems and diabetes drug market within the first quarter, based on an earnings presentation. Novo Nordisk’s market share within the quarter was 39.4%.
Here is what Eli Lilly reported for the primary quarter in contrast with what Wall Road was anticipating, primarily based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: $8.55 adjusted vs. $6.66 anticipated
- Income: $19.80 billion vs. $17.62 billion anticipated
Shares of Lilly rose greater than 10% in afternoon buying and selling Thursday.
The corporate posted first-quarter income of $19.80 billion, up 56% from the identical interval a 12 months in the past.
“Impressively, it is like our fifth or sixth quarter in a row posting actually sturdy topline development numbers,” Lilly CEO Dave Ricks advised CNBC in an unique interview Thursday. “That is not normally one thing that pharmaceutical corporations of our dimension do.”
Income within the U.S. climbed 43% to $12.1 billion. Eli Lilly mentioned that was pushed by a 49% improve in quantity — or the variety of prescriptions or models bought — for its merchandise, primarily for Mounjaro and Zepbound. That was partially offset by decrease realized costs of Zepbound and one other medicine for psoriatic arthritis and different circumstances, the corporate mentioned.
Notably, income outdoors the U.S. jumped 81% to $7.7 billion, propelled by a 95% surge in quantity and partly offset by decrease realized costs.
Ricks mentioned Lilly had slowed down introductions in world markets when it skilled provide constraints in late 2024. However he mentioned now Lilly is hitting its third or fourth quarter within the main markets throughout Europe, China and Brazil, the place many sufferers are paying out of pocket.
“As these launches hit stride, you are seeing the depth and breadth of the patron market right here,” Ricks mentioned, referring to worldwide markets.
The pharmaceutical large booked web revenue of $7.40 billion, or $8.26 per share, for the primary quarter. That compares with web revenue of $2.76 billion, or $3.06 per share, a 12 months earlier.
Excluding one-time gadgets related to the worth of intangible belongings and different changes, Eli Lilly posted earnings of $8.55 per share for the primary quarter.
The corporate’s newly permitted GLP-1 capsule for weight problems, Foundayo, launched within the second quarter, so its gross sales usually are not included in Thursday’s report.
Nonetheless, the capsule’s rollout is prone to dominate the dialogue throughout Lilly’s first-quarter earnings name. Executives will possible face questions on whether or not Foundayo can attain the identical stage of momentum because the rival Wegovy capsule from Novo Nordisk, which benefited from a three-month head begin within the U.S.
In his interview with CNBC on Thursday, Ricks mentioned greater than 20,000 folks have began taking Foundayo in its first few weeks available on the market. Greater than 1,000 folks a day are beginning the drug, he added.
He mentioned 80% of sufferers taking the drug are new to taking GLP-1s.
Ricks added that the corporate must construct client consciousness round Foundayo, noting that the corporate has not marketed it on TV.
“So what we’re seeing now’s mainly natural demand, which is admittedly sturdy to us,” Ricks mentioned.
In February, Lilly mentioned it expects to learn from Foundayo’s launch, Medicare protection of weight problems medication coming on-line later this 12 months, and continued worldwide demand for Mounjaro and Zepbound. However the firm additionally expects to face pricing strain, pushed by a drug pricing take care of President Donald Trump and decrease cash-pay costs for Zepbound, amongst different elements.
Nonetheless, Ricks mentioned in an interview in late April that he expects decrease costs to speed up prescription volumes within the U.S. He additionally estimated that world GLP-1 use will rise from roughly 20 million sufferers on the finish of final 12 months to 30 million on the finish of 2026.
— CNBC’s Angelica Peebles contributed to this report.
Correction: Lilly posted first-quarter income of $19.80 billion, up 56% from the identical interval a 12 months in the past. An earlier model misstated the timeframe.
