Ricks said Eli Lilly had yet to begin what the company calls "demand-stimulating activities," or advertising and promoting, for Zepbound. The drugmaker will start those efforts in November, he said.

Eli Lilly on Wednesday launched the easy-to-use injector pen of its blockbuster weight-loss drug Mounjaro for 14,000 rupees (nearly $160) for its starting dose of 2.5 mg in India, stepping up competition with Novo Nordisk .

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY), accusing the pharmaceutical giant of bribing medical providers to promote its most profitable drugs, including the widely used GLP-1 medications Mounjaro and Zepbound for diabetes and weight loss.