Mounjaro and Zepbound now bring in close to two-thirds of Eli Lilly's quarterly revenue, pipeline review says

Mounjaro and Zepbound, the two brand-name versions of tirzepatide, together now account for close to two-thirds of Eli Lilly's quarterly revenue, according to a review of the company's pipeline published in September 2026 ^[1]. The review describes the incretin franchise as the financial engine behind the rest of Lilly's metabolic medicine portfolio ^[1].

Mounjaro is Lilly's tirzepatide product for type 2 diabetes; Zepbound is the same molecule sold for weight management.

The review points to two programs that the tirzepatide revenue is helping to carry. One is Foundayo, an oral GLP-1 medicine containing orforglipron, which the review lists as approved ^[1]. The other is retatrutide, an investigational drug for which Lilly plans a US regulatory filing in the first quarter of 2027 ^[1].

Several specifics are not in the review. It does not give dollar figures for quarterly revenue, does not say what share of the two-thirds comes from Mounjaro versus Zepbound, and does not break out how much of the total reflects US versus international sales ^[1]. The specific conditions Lilly intends to seek approval for retatrutide have not been reported, and no price, launch date or insurance coverage details for retatrutide have been disclosed ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

The practical effect of a revenue mix like this is that a single drug family is funding a company's entire research and launch schedule. If tirzepatide sales hold up, programs like an oral GLP-1 and retatrutide keep moving; if they weaken, timelines can move with them.

An approved oral GLP-1 matters for people who dislike injections or have trouble storing refrigerated pens, though the review does not compare orforglipron's effectiveness or side effects with injectable options ^[1]. It also does not say how the oral product is priced or which insurance plans cover it.

More treatment options generally mean more competition among manufacturers, but nothing in the review establishes what that would mean for the price a US patient pays. Formulary placement, prior authorization rules and copay amounts are set plan by plan and are not addressed ^[1].

One thing the revenue figures do not tell patients is availability. A drug can be a company's biggest seller and still be backordered or restricted to certain pharmacies, and the review makes no claims about supply ^[1].

What happens next

The one dated milestone in the review is Lilly's plan to file retatrutide for US approval in the first quarter of 2027 ^[1]. That is a filing date, not an approval date; the review does not estimate when the FDA might act.

No timeline is given for expanding access to orforglipron, for new formulations of tirzepatide, or for additional uses of either drug ^[1]. Those details have not been disclosed.

Patients who want to know whether their plan covers a specific GLP-1, or what it costs, will not find that in a pipeline review. Those answers come from the plan itself and from the pharmacy, and they can differ from one employer or state to the next.