Why Eli Lilly is 'the Nvidia of GLP-1' weight-loss drugs

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Pharmaceutical companies have significantly grown over the last year as demand for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs continues to skyrocket. Roundhill Investments CEO Dave Mazza joins Market Domination for the latest installment of Good Buy or Goodbye to analyze his top pick in the GLP-1 market.

Mazza is bullish on Eli Lilly (LLY) — maker of Wegovy and Zepbound — explaining that it has gotten a head start in the GLP-1 race as it has "been working on these drugs for decades." He adds that the company has an optimistic sales outlook, telling Yahoo Finance, "We're seeing various drugs, Wegovy, grow at over 100%, 200% in some cases. And at the same time, the company is actually increasing their forecasts. So not just beating and raising, but blowing away the numbers."

Eli Lilly has recently announced that it will offer its obesity drug Zepbound on its direct-to-consumer website for a significant markdown. Mazza believes the initiative will get the drug in more patients' hands — especially those without insurance. "I think what they're trying to do is basically make their total addressable market come to them quicker," he says of the move.

On the other hand, Mazza is "skeptical" of Hims & Hers Health (HIMS). He notes that the stock has been "slowly deteriorating" after its initial buzz and highlights how its weight-loss offerings are compounding drugs rather than GLP-1 drugs. He explains that compounding drugs are "made through compounding pharmacies, so a company goes up and makes treatments and therapeutics that look and feel a lot like the actual medicines." These drugs are not FDA-approved, which Mazza believes is cause for some concern.

He adds that Hims & Hers entered the market because of the sky-high demand that pharmaceutical giants like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk (NVO) couldn't meet. With both competitors now expanding, the supply chain will improve and he argues that more patients will turn to the name-brand GLP-1 drugs rather than the compounding drugs.

For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination.

This post was written by Melanie Riehl

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