The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that the shortage of Eli Lilly's weight loss medications, Mounjaro and Zepbound, has been resolved. While these drugs, which contain tirzepatide, are now more readily available, patients and prescribers might still face occasional local shortages as they move through the supply chain.
Mounjaro, which is primarily used for diabetes treatment, and Zepbound, used for weight control, had been listed on the FDA's shortage list since late 2022 and April of this year, respectively. To address the supply issues, Eli Lilly has begun selling the smallest starting dose of Zepbound directly to consumers in the U.S., facilitating increased market availability.
The surging demand for both medications has driven Eli Lilly to invest billions of dollars to increase production capacity. Similarly, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk is also expanding its supply to meet unprecedented demand. These GLP-1 therapies, initially developed for diabetes treatment, have shown potential in trials to reduce body weight by up to 20%. Analysts predict that the market revenue for these therapies could reach $150 billion by the early 2030s.
To meet current and future national demand, Eli Lilly, along with regulatory assurance from the FDA, confirms that its production capacity is sufficient. The company is enhancing production at existing facilities, building or acquiring new sites, and seeking more agreements with contract manufacturers to boost supply.
In a related development, Eli Lilly announced a $4.5 billion investment in a new Indiana-based center. This hub will focus on developing innovative drug manufacturing methods and scaling up production of experimental drugs used in clinical trials.
