Key Summary
- Lilly plans to launch the pill as soon as it receives regulatory approvals.
- The company plans to pursue public reimbursement from European governments where possible.
- Lilly has agreed with the Trump administration to provide "most-favored-nation" pricing on new medicines.
Eli Lilly expects to launch its weight-loss pill in Europe and Britain in the second half of 2026 or early 2027, and plans to partner with telehealth companies as it has done in the United States.
The pharma giant plans to pursue public reimbursement from European governments where possible, even as new US drug pricing policies complicate negotiations with health authorities.
Meanwhile, rival Novo Nordisk recently received approval from the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for its weight-loss semaglutide (Wegovy) tablet.
Lilly's vice president (international business), Patrik Jonsson, told Reuters that it expects Europe and Britain to be its next markets, after recent approvals in the US and the United Arab Emirates.
The company plans to launch the weight-loss pill as soon as it gets regulatory approvals, but will partner with telehealth companies on the basis that most obesity treatment is paid for directly by patients, he said.
The strategy builds on its efforts to develop a consumer-focused obesity business through telehealth providers, e-commerce platforms and direct-to-patient channels.
Jonsson said Lilly would still seek reimbursement where possible, despite uncertainty created by US president Donald Trump's "most-favored-nation" (MFN) pricing policy, which seeks to link some US drug prices to those paid in other countries.
Lilly signed an agreement with the Trump administration last year, committing to provide MFN pricing on new medicines.
Jonsson said Lilly would seek reimbursed prices that were consistent with the company's interpretation of the MFN framework, which links prices to US net prices adjusted for countries' income levels.
His comments come as drugmakers and European governments clash over medicine pricing, and many companies are threatening to hold back investments in protest.
