Eli Lilly said on Wednesday patients taking its obesity drug Zepbound lost 47% more weight than those who were given Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in the first large, head-to-head trial of the highly in-demand rival medicines.

Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, Zepbound, has been shown to lead to more significant weight loss than Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, according to results from a new clinical trial. The study, funded by Lilly, is the first to compare the two drugs directly,

Those treated with tirzepatide, a dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)/GLP-1 receptor agonist, lost on average 50.3 lb (22.8 kg) while those treated with semaglutide lost 33.1 lb (15 kg), translating to a 47% greater relative weight loss with tirzepatide.