Eli Lilly Raises Outlook After Strong Drug Sales
Drug company Eli Lilly had a strong start to 2026. Its diabetes and weight-loss drugs sold better than expected.
Sales of Mounjaro and Zepbound beat what analysts predicted. So Eli Lilly raised its expected sales for 2026 by $2 billion.
The company now expects to earn between $82 and $85 billion this year. It also raised its expected profit per share to between $35.50 and $37.
In the first three months of 2026 the company made $19.80 billion. Analysts had only expected $17.62 billion.
Eli Lilly holds about 60% of the United States obesity and diabetes drug market. The company's stock rose more than 5% after the news. Chief Executive Dave Ricks expects the number of GLP-1 patients worldwide to grow from 20 million to 30 million by end of 2026.
Klear Note — GLP-1 drugs treat diabetes and help with weight loss. These drugs have become very popular in recent years.
Key Terms 4
- GLP-1 drugs Medicines that treat diabetes and help people lose weight
- Mounjaro and Zepbound Eli Lilly's two top-selling GLP-1 drugs
- outlook A company's forecast of how much money it expects to make
- profit per share How much profit a company earns for each stock unit owned