“We learned very rapidly from the US the importance of taking a very strong consumer focus,” said Jonsson. Lilly is using that model in markets including Australia and China, where it has partnered with e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com, he said. Jonsson said Lilly delayed some rollouts to ensure consistent supply, avoiding the volume-capped launches by Novo in 2023 and 2024. Novo Nordisk was first to market with a highly effective GLP-1 obesity drug in 2021, but Lilly has pulled ahead this year, with total prescriptions for Mounjaro now surpassing Novo’s Wegovy. Surging global demand for weight-loss drugs has strained supply chains for both Novo and Lilly.