Eli Lilly raises full-year guidance as drug pipeline drives second-quarter profit up 85%

Eli Lilly on Tuesday raised its full-year guidance as second-quarter profit jumped 85% from the same period a year ago on strong sales from the pharmaceutical giant’s drug pipeline.

The company now expects full-year revenue of between $33.4 billion to $33.9 billion, up from a previous forecast of $31.2 billion to $31.7 billion. Eli Lilly also increased its adjusted earnings guidance to a range of $9.70 to $9.90 per share for the year, up from a range of $8.65 to $8.85.

Shares of Eli Lilly jumped 9% in premarket trading Tuesday.

Here’s how Eli Lilly performed, compared with Wall Street expectations, based on a survey of analysts by Refinitiv:

• Adjusted earnings: $2.11 per share, vs. $1.98 per share expected
• Revenue: $8.31 billion, vs. $7.58 billion expected

The company booked net income of $1.76 billion, or $1.95 per share, for the quarter. That’s up from net income of $952.5 million, or $1.05 per share, for the same period a year ago. 

Accounting for charges associated with some intangible assets and losses on securities, the company recorded adjusted income of $1.9 billion, or $2.11 per share.

The company’s $8.31 billion in sales for the quarter marked a 28% increase from the same period a year ago. 

Revenue growth was driven by sales of breast cancer pill Verzenio, which rose 57% to $926.8 million for the quarter. Sales of Jardiance, a tablet that lowers blood sugar in Type 2 diabetes patients, rose 45% to $668.3 million for the second quarter.

Newer drugs like Mounjaro, the company’s Type 2 diabetes injection, also fueled revenue growth, posting $979.7 million in sales for the quarter. The drug was first approved in the U.S. in May 2022 and notched just $16 million in sales in the year-ago period. 

Investors have pinned high hopes on Mounjaro’s potential mega-blockbuster trajectory beyond diabetes, with some research suggesting that it may be even more effective at reducing weight than Novo Nordisk’s popular Wegovy and Ozempic injections.

The company in April sold the rights to its emergency diabetes treatment Baqsimi to Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, which brought in $579 million to the topline during the second quarter.

But sales of cancer drug Alimta weighed on revenue. The treatment, first launched in 2004, saw sales plunge 73% to $60.9 million for the second quarter. 

Alimta’s last U.S. patent expired in May, resulting in lower demand as cheaper generic competitors entered the market. 

Eli Lilly also reported no sales from its Covid-19 antibody treatments, compared with $129 million in the second quarter of 2022. The Food and Drug Administration rescinded its approval of the company’s antibody bebtelovimab in November.

Eli Lilly’s stock has been on a tear in recent months, driven in part by positive trial results for its Alzheimer’s drug, donanemab, and the company’s progress with its promising obesity drug pipeline. 

Executives are also likely to be asked about a lawsuit filed Monday by Nektar Therapeutics accusing Eli Lilly of undermining a drug development deal established between the two companies in 2017.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.