With recent positive clinical results from Lilly, Roche and AstraZeneca, the $100 billion GLP-1 market could potentially include other medical areas such as cardiovascular, kidney, liver, arthritis and sleep apnea disorders as drugs are developed to treat not only diabetes and obesity, but all types of metabolic conditions.
In the first quarter of 2026, Lilly reported quarterly revenue of $19.8 billion worldwide, up 56% year over year, with Mounjaro and Zepbound together accounting for $12.9 billion. The company also continues to test new treatments to maintain its leadership in the metabolic health market; a cholesterol-lowering drug the company is developing with Verve has shown promising early efficacy.
Merck reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $16.3 billion, driven by its strong oncology and animal health portfolio. “We are in the process of launching more than 20 new products,” CEO Robert Davis said at a press conference in April, “almost all of which have blockbuster potential across a broad range of therapeutic areas.” The decision to diversify and redesign its portfolio is timely as the company’s patents on its blockbuster cancer immunotherapy Keytruma (which accounted for $8 billion of first-quarter revenue) expire in 2028.