Peptide News Digest

#Mounjaro

9 stories

Mounjaro is Eli Lilly's branded tirzepatide for type-2 diabetes — the diabetes twin of Zepbound. The drug carries the same active ingredient as Zepbound, and the SURPASS Phase 3 program established it as a high-efficacy GLP-1/GIP option for glycemic control.

Key reads on this site: Mounjaro real-world data presented at OMA 2026 and elsewhere tracking with SURPASS-1 through SURPASS-5, the SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head against semaglutide that confirms the dual-agonist edge in obesity (and translates to T2D weight outcomes), and the kidney and HFpEF readouts that have broadened the cardiometabolic case.

Mounjaro sits alongside Zepbound on the FDA's April 30, 2026 proposal to exclude tirzepatide from the 503B bulks list. Stories here cover the trial data, payer coverage, and the compounding fight.

Industry · View digest

Mounjaro Overtakes Keytruda as World's Top-Selling Drug — $8.66B Lilly Q1 vs $7.9B Merck Q1, Ending Keytruda's Two-Year Reign

Bloomberg reported May 6 that Eli Lilly's Mounjaro displaced Merck's Keytruda as the world's best-selling pharmaceutical in Q1 2026 — $8.66B Mounjaro Q1 sales vs Keytruda's $7.9B Q1 sales. The Mounjaro+Zepbound combined tirzepatide platform generated $36.5B in 2025, outpacing Keytruda's $31.6B. Keytruda had held the #1 ranking since Q1 2023, when it displaced AbbVie's Humira. The shift is the first time a peptide therapeutic has taken the top spot since the historical run of insulin biosimilars. The narrative also frames Lilly's $4.5B Lebanon Indiana manufacturing recommitment and the broader $21B Indiana capital plan as the supply-chain answer to demand at that scale.

Industry · View digest

Lilly Stock Rises 6.11% on May 1 Following Q1 Beat and $82–85B Guidance Raise

Eli Lilly shares climbed 6.11% on May 1 as the market digested the company's Q1 2026 print: $19.8B in revenue (+56% YoY), Mounjaro at $8.66B globally (+125%), Zepbound at $4.16B in U.S. sales (+80%), and reported EPS of $8.26 versus the $6.97 consensus. Multiple sell-side analysts revised price targets higher and reiterated or upgraded ratings, citing the strength of the cardiometabolic franchise and the $2 billion guidance raise to $82–85B. The reaction crystallized Lilly's positioning as the GLP-1 leader heading into Novo's May 6 Q1 print.

Industry · View digest

Eli Lilly Q1 2026 Beats: Revenue Up 56% to $19.8B, Mounjaro $8.66B (+125%), Zepbound $4.16B (+80%), 2026 Guidance Raised to $82–85B

Eli Lilly reported Q1 2026 worldwide revenue of $19.8 billion, up 56% year over year on 65% volume growth partially offset by a 13% price decline. Mounjaro hit $8.66 billion globally (+125%), Zepbound delivered $4.16 billion in U.S. sales (+80%), and reported Q1 EPS jumped 170% to $8.26. Lilly raised 2026 revenue guidance by $2 billion at each end to $82–85 billion and lifted non-GAAP EPS guidance to $35.50–$37.00. The release also recapped five positive Phase 3 readouts, six new Phase 3 starts, and the closings of the Orna, Centessa, Colonia, and Ajax acquisitions in the quarter.

Industry · View digest

Eli Lilly Q1 2026 Earnings April 30: Morningstar Lifts Fair Value to $870 (from $770), Projects 27% Top-Line Growth

Morningstar issued a pre-earnings note ahead of Eli Lilly's April 30 Q1 2026 report raising fair value to $870 from $770 following 2025 results and management guidance. Analysts project 27% top-line growth in 2026 and 20% in 2027, with double-digit growth through end of decade. Mounjaro/Zepbound represented 56% of total sales in 2025, projected to exceed 60% in 2026 with patent protection through 2036. The Q1 print will be the first read on Foundayo launch trajectory after the disappointing 1,390 / 3,707 prescription weeks 1-2.

Clinical Trials · View digest

SURMOUNT-5 Head-to-Head: Tirzepatide Delivers 21.6% Weight Loss vs Semaglutide's 15.4%

The first definitive Phase 3B head-to-head trial of Lilly's tirzepatide versus Novo Nordisk's semaglutide in 750 patients with obesity over 72 weeks showed tirzepatide produced 21.6% mean weight loss vs semaglutide's 15.4%. 36.2% of tirzepatide patients achieved ≥25% weight loss vs 19.4% on semaglutide. Results published April 20 give Lilly a clear comparative data point in the GLP-1 market share battle.