It is arduous to overstate simply how profitable the expansions of recent diabetes remedies into the load administration enviornment have been for the businesses that promote them. In a single hanging instance, the market capitalization of Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO), previously a comparatively obscure drugmaker that till not too long ago principally offered diabetes remedies, not too long ago exceeded the market cap of Tesla.Eli Lilly’s (NYSE: LLY) latest weight administration drug, Zepbound, is already on tempo to outperform Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. And a brand new distribution partnership with Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) might speed up gross sales of Zepbound even quicker.May this Amazon Pharmacy partnership make Eli Lilly a wiser inventory to purchase now?Zepbound goes placesEli Lilly launched tirzepatide underneath the model identify Mounjaro in 2022 as a kind 2 diabetes therapy. Tirzepatide acts on the identical GLP-1 receptors as its most important rival within the market, Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic), and likewise acts on GIP receptors. In 2023, tirzepatide was given the inexperienced mild to be marketed for weight reduction underneath the model identify Zepbound.You do not have to be an endocrinologist to know that twin motion is a bonus for tirzepatide. Semaglutide has a five-year market lead on tirzepatide, however gross sales of Lilly’s drug are catching up quick.Model NameGeneric NameYear of FDA ApprovalMode(s) of ActionMain Indication2023 SalesOzempicsemaglutide2017GLP-1 agonistDiabetes$14.0 billionWegovysemaglutide2021GLP-1 agonistWeight administration$1.4 billionMounjarotirzepatide2022GLP-1 agonist and GIP agonistDiabetes$5.2 billionZepboundtirzepatide2023GLP-1 agonist and GIP agonistWeight administration$176 millionData sources: Meals and Drug Administration, Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly.Zepbound’s higher efficacy profile has Wall Road analysts bullish concerning the drug. In a examine with roughly 1,961 overweight or obese sufferers, after 68 weeks of therapy with Wegovy, contributors averaged a 12.4% placebo-adjusted weight discount. In an analogous examine with 2,539 sufferers, these taking Zepbound averaged a 17.8% placebo-adjusted weight discount.Story continuesZepbound launched in November, nevertheless it’s already anticipated to turn out to be a megablockbuster for Lilly. Wall Road analysts who comply with the pharmaceutical trade carefully assume complete tirzepatide gross sales may exceed $50 billion yearly at their peak. In a very bullish forecast, Evan Seigerman from BMO Capital predicted $69 billion in peak annual gross sales.Relating to promoting remedies for situations that have an effect on thousands and thousands of People, Eli Lilly is considering means outdoors the field. In January, it launched LillyDirect to simplify the administration of weight problems, diabetes, and migraine complications. The device provides sufferers entry to unbiased telehealth suppliers who may also help sufferers get constant entry to Zepbound and different remedies.The LillyDirect initiative bought an enormous visibility enhance not too long ago when it partnered with Amazon Pharmacy. Now, Prime members can obtain free two-day delivery for his or her weight-management therapy from the success service.Picture supply: Getty Pictures.Extra than simply weight managementEli Lilly does much more than simply develop medication for diabetes and weight administration. Mounjaro is one in all six Lilly merchandise that generated over $1 billion in income final 12 months.In recent times, Lilly’s success in oncology remedies has been exceptional. For instance, Verzenio is a focused breast most cancers therapy that launched in 2017. Annual gross sales of the blockbuster surged by 56% final 12 months to $3.9 billion. Altogether, Lilly’s gross sales rose 20% in 2023, and a profitable Zepbound launch may enable its prime line to proceed rising by greater than 20% yearly for a number of extra years.A purchase now?I am not the primary investor to note Lilly’s potential for development. The inventory has risen by about 134% over the previous 12 months and presently trades for about 63 occasions the midpoint of administration’s 2024 earnings estimate. It has risen thus far that Eli Lilly’s dividend gives a dismal 0.7% yield though the corporate has greater than doubled its quarterly payouts since 2017.The patents that defend market exclusivity for Mounjaro and Zepbound will not expire till 2036 on the earliest. That offers Lilly a fairly good probability to develop into its lofty valuation.As such, there’s a probability that an Eli Lilly funding now may result in market-beating good points over the long term. That stated, traders want to understand they might undergo heavy losses if any sudden challenges stop Zepbound from turning into the highest-selling drug in historical past.Dividend-paying pharmaceutical shares typically make acceptable investments for many traders — however not on this case. Given its excessive valuation, shopping for Eli Lilly inventory proper now’s solely acceptable for traders with a excessive tolerance for danger.Must you make investments $1,000 in Eli Lilly proper now?Before you purchase inventory in Eli Lilly, contemplate this:The Motley Idiot Inventory Advisor analyst crew simply recognized what they imagine are the 10 finest shares for traders to purchase now… and Eli Lilly wasn’t one in all them. The ten shares that made the minimize may produce monster returns within the coming years.Inventory Advisor gives traders with an easy-to-follow blueprint for achievement, together with steering on constructing a portfolio, common updates from analysts, and two new inventory picks every month. The Inventory Advisor service has greater than tripled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*.See the ten shares*Inventory Advisor returns as of March 11, 2024John Mackey, former CEO of Complete Meals Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Idiot’s board of administrators. Cory Renauer has positions in Amazon. The Motley Idiot has positions in and recommends Amazon and Tesla. The Motley Idiot recommends Novo Nordisk. The Motley Idiot has a disclosure coverage.Eli Lilly Faucets Amazon to Ship Its Weight Administration Blockbuster. Is It Time to Purchase the Pharma Inventory? was initially revealed by The Motley Idiot