Eli Lilly developed Mounjaro, a diabetes medicine that helped make the company a major market-cap company.
Mounjaro is the brand name for tirzepatide, which was approved in the United States in 2022 for improving blood-sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. Tirzepatide acts on receptors for GIP and GLP-1, two hormones involved in glucose regulation and appetite.
Eli Lilly later marketed tirzepatide for chronic weight management under the brand name Zepbound after U.S. approval in 2023. Rapid demand for these medicines contributed to strong revenue expectations and increased investor attention toward the company.
Mounjaro and Zepbound are related products but have different approved brand indications. Their success does not mean that every Eli Lilly medicine is a GLP-1 drug; the company has a much broader pharmaceutical portfolio.