Eli Lilly's Chief Financial Officer Lucas Montarce announced plans to launch the company's blockbuster diabetes and weight-loss drug Mounjaro in major emerging markets by the second half of 2025, as the pharmaceutical giant scales up production to meet extraordinary global demand.
Speaking at the Leerink Partners Global Healthcare Conference on Monday, Montarce highlighted the significant market opportunity in countries like China, India, Brazil, and Mexico, which represent some of the world's most populous nations with rising obesity rates.
"The size is significant. We're talking about 900 million patients that could benefit from Mounjaro," Montarce said. "We plan to launch in new countries... what we call big emerging market countries, that will drive significant growth into the latter part of the year, but also more into 2026."
Global Expansion Strategy
Eli Lilly has been strategic in its global rollout of tirzepatide-based medications, delaying entry into new markets until manufacturing capacity could meet anticipated demand. This approach mirrors that of Danish competitor Novo Nordisk, which has faced similar supply constraints with its popular GLP-1 medications.
Mounjaro received approval from Chinese regulators last year and had a limited launch in the market. Lilly expects a more substantial rollout in China this year, where it will compete with Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, which launched in November 2023.
In February 2023, Lilly CEO David Ricks told Reuters that the company expected to introduce Mounjaro in India as early as 2025, aligning with the timeline Montarce confirmed this week.
Manufacturing Investment
To support the global expansion of its weight-loss and diabetes medications, Lilly has committed more than $23 billion since 2020 to enhance its manufacturing capabilities worldwide. Beyond its U.S. operations, the company maintains production facilities in Ireland, Italy, and Spain.
"We continue to plan new launches as we continue to ramp up supply production," Montarce explained, addressing the company's efforts to meet the extraordinary demand that has characterized the GLP-1 medication market.
Branding and Market Forecast
Tirzepatide is marketed under different brand names depending on the region and indication. In the United Kingdom and Europe, the medication is sold as Mounjaro for both diabetes and weight loss. However, in the United States, while the diabetes indication retains the Mounjaro brand, the obesity treatment is marketed as Zepbound.
The expansion into emerging markets is expected to contribute significantly to Lilly's ambitious sales forecast of between $58 billion and $61 billion in 2025, reflecting the growing importance of these medications to the company's financial performance.
Market Competition
The planned expansion comes amid intense competition in the GLP-1 receptor agonist market, particularly between Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. Both companies have seen unprecedented demand for their weight-loss and diabetes medications, creating supply challenges that have influenced their global launch strategies.
As production capacity increases, the entry of these medications into populous emerging markets represents a new phase in what has become one of the pharmaceutical industry's most significant commercial opportunities in recent years.
