Orforglipron

Eli Lilly, which markets the obesity blockbuster Zepbound, has a bulging metabolic portfolio.\n Eli Lilly has penned a research pact worth $1.2 billion in biobucks with SanegeneBio to help pinpoint cardiometabolic RNAi medicines at the correct tissues.The agreement centers around Sanegene’s Ligand and Enhancer Assisted Delivery (LEAD) platform, which the Boston-based biotech touts as a potential way to “generate breakthrough therapies for metabolic diseases that could be administered subcutaneously as infrequently as twice per year.”Sanegene is already working on a clutch of its own metabolic-focused RNA meds, headed up by a clinical-stage angiotensinogen-targeting siRNA for which China’s Innovent has scooped up the Asia rights.Saturday’s deal with Lilly involves Sanegene identifying optimized LEAD-based RNAi molecules for an undisclosed number of metabolic targets, with Lilly taking over each program for IND-enabling studies and beyond.In return, the Big Pharma is initially handing over an upfront payment and making an equity investment in Sanegene. While both amounts were also undisclosed in the biotech’s Nov. 8 release, Sanegene did divulge that the combined total of discovery, development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments it could potentially receive from the deal could reach $1.2 billion.\"Partnering with Lilly represents a strong validation of our innovative and differentiated LEAD platform for tissue-selective delivery of RNAi medicines,” Sanegene CEO Weimin Wang, Ph.D., said in the release.“We look forward to working closely with Lilly, a global leader in innovation for metabolic diseases, to unlock novel approaches for the treatment of metabolic disorders and to advance durable, disease-modifying therapies for patients worldwide,” Wang added. Lilly, which markets obesity blockbuster Zepbound, has a bulging metabolic portfolio including next-gen weight loss drugs like orforglipron and retatrutide.Meanwhile, the pharma has stepped up its RNA therapeutics strategy in recent months, including a $13 million upfront deal with Creyon Bio to develop artificial-intelligence-designed oligonucleotide therapies spanning a “a broad range of diseases.” The pharma also tapped Rznomics for a $1.3 billion biobucks deal centered around using the South Korean biotech’s trans-splicing ribozyme platform to develop a hearing loss therapy.In August 2024, Lilly opened a $700 million R&D center in the Boston Seaport, boosting its RNA and DNA research capabilities. Further back, Lilly has clinched RNA-focused deals with the likes of MiNA Therapeutics and ProQR Therapeutics. 

New Delhi: Maintaining its growth momentum for the seventh straight month, Eli Lilly ’s type-2 diabetes and weight-loss drug Mounjaro has mounted to the top spot in India’s drug market, with October sales touching Rs 100 crore. According to the domestic market sales tracker PharmaTrac , last month the once-weekly injectable racked up Rs 100 crore with net sales of 85,000 units across all available dosage strengths. With record monthly sales since its launch, the Tirzepatide brand has surpassed GSK’s antibiotic Augmentin—which stood at Rs 80 crore sales—as the most valued brand in the Indian pharma market. Mounjaro — a GIP/GLP-1 dual agonist—debuted in March this year and so far the drug has reported net sales of 6.62 lakh units, translating into a moving annual turnover (MAT) of Rs 333 crore. Meanwhile, its arch rival Wegovy , which entered the market in June, has remained muted at Rs 9 crore for the last three months and Rs 37 crore on MAT basis, with net sales of 27,000 units. As of October, Mounjaro’s monthly sales are almost 10 times that of Wegovy , the tracker highlighted. The sales surge for Mounjaro is suggested to be driven by a strong patent base carved out with aggressive promotions and flexibility of vials, which holds a cost advantage over pens, especially for onboarding new patients. Diabetes drive Besides emerging as a frontrunner in the anti-obesity market , speaking to ETPharma Dr. Ambrish Mithal Chairman and Head - Endocrinology & Diabetes at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket noted that, "because of its benefits including lowering glucose, reduction in weight, and complications, Mounjaro has moved up in the pecking order for treating diabetes.” “The only two inhibitions with using it as a first-line drug are its cost, as it is not affordable for everybody, and secondly, the fact that it’s an injectable,” he added. “With all injectables, including insulins, patients generally prefer pens over vials. However, with newer GLP-1 drugs are likely to be available in oral form and be equally effective, and I also expect prices to come down over time,” Dr. Mithal said. Notably, despite commanding over 50 per cent of India’s Rs 947 crore anti-obesity market , Semaglutide—the active ingredient of Wegovy— with a MAT of Rs 427 crore, higher share of the molecule is driven from Rybelsus, an oral GLP-1 pill for type-2 diabetes and weight-loss (off-label), currently accounts for over 90 per cent (Rs 389 crore) of the subgroup’s total sales. However, according to the sales tracker, following the entry of injectables—Mounjaro and Wegovy—the drug volume tanked from 1.47 lakh at its peak in November 2024 to 97,000 in October this year. The brand is expected to face stiff competition from Lilly’s small-molecule pill, Orforglipron, which is set to undergo Phase 3 trials in India. Meanwhile, several domestic firms are also working on generic versions of the innovator’s molecule. In the injectable segment, market experts suggest the competition may be short-lived, as Novo Nordisk’s molecule is set to lose its patent in March 2026, likely triggering a flood of generics that could erode the therapy’s pricing. According to Dr. Mithal, when semaglutide generics become available, some patients may prefer them for cost reasons. However, whether those on Mounjaro will switch remains uncertain, as it is a completely different molecule, and the market’s and patients response will need to be observed. Second-line scope In October, Lilly inked a distribution agreement with Cipla , granting the later rights to market Tirzepatide under a second brand name Yurpeak. While Lilly has built a strong patient base for its brand, analysts suggest that its penetration in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities is yet to scale and Cipla may unlock it through its strong marketing network across those regions. Last week, speaking at Cipla’s Q2 FY26 earnings call Umang Vohra, the company’s Global CEO said, "based on our market analysis, there is a distinct group of patients likely to use Tirzepatide…. and there is ample room between Cipla and Eli Lilly to introduce the product to the market and capitalize on the opportunity.” Adding to this Achin Gupta Cipla’s Global COO, stated., Tirzepatide is the first and only approved GIP/GLP-1 dual against which makes it a very unique preposition and because the entire class of treatment is new and there will be a lot of eligible patients across geographies “While both products have been launched by their respective innovators, Tirzepatide's uptake is far ahead and with our proven abilities in shaping market across different geographies,we see this as a sizable opportunity irrespective how the Semaglutide market shapes,” Gupta added. By Abhijeet Singh ,