Eli Lilly is blowing past its competitors, thanks to prescient bets on obesity and Alzheimer’s. Can it avoid the patent cliff?
There are five tech companies valued at over $1 trillion. In healthcare, the closest contender is Eli Lilly LLY -0.15%decrease; red down pointing triangle.
This year it became the first big pharmaceutical to surpass a market capitalization of $500 billion thanks to the popularity of its obesity and diabetes medications and, to a lesser extent, its experimental Alzheimer’s drug. But hanging over Lilly and rival Novo Nordisk NOVO.B -1.03%decrease; red down pointing triangle is a reality that puts the brakes on big pharma’s ascent: the patent cliff.
