Eli Lilly CEO Criticizes PBM 'Rent-Seeking', Claims They Increased Insulin List Prices to $275: 'We Can Easily Bypass Them'
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Nov 12 2025
0mins
Source: Benzinga
Critique of Pharmacy Benefit Managers: Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks criticized pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) for inflating insulin prices, claiming they profit from the difference between high list prices and low net prices, which harms uninsured patients.
Response to Price Inflation: Ricks noted that despite Lilly's efforts to introduce a low-cost insulin option, PBMs resisted these changes, prompting the company to create LillyDirect, a direct-to-consumer platform to bypass the PBM system.
Industry Support Against PBMs: Ricks' views align with those of industry disruptors like Mark Cuban, who also condemned PBMs for their role in escalating healthcare costs, indicating a growing challenge to the PBM business model.
Eli Lilly's Stock Performance: Following these developments, Eli Lilly's stock has shown positive performance, closing higher and reflecting a strong price trend over the year, despite a poor value ranking.
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Analyst Views on LLY
Wall Street analysts forecast LLY stock price to rise
20 Analyst Rating
18 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 1082.200
Low
950.00
Averages
1192
High
1500
Current: 1082.200
Low
950.00
Averages
1192
High
1500
About LLY
Eli Lilly and Company is a medicine company, which discovers, develops, manufactures, and market products in a single business segment called human pharmaceutical products. The Company manufacture and distribute its products through facilities in the United States, including Puerto Rico, and in Europe and Asia. The Company’s products are sold in approximately 90 countries. Its Cardiometabolic Health products Basaglar; Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, and others; Humulin, Humulin 70/30, and others; Jardiance; Mounjaro; Trulicity; Zepbound, and others. Its oncology products include Cyramza, Erbitux, Tyvyt, Verzenio, Retevmo, Jaypirca, and others. Its immunology products include Ebglyss, Olumiant, Omvoh, and Taltz. Its neuroscience products include Emgality and Kisunla. Its LillyDirect, a direct-to-patient digital health care platform, provides delivery of select Lilly medicines dispensed by third-party pharmacies to patients.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- New Drug Launch: The FDA approval of Foundayo as the first oral weight loss pill is expected to attract more patients, particularly due to its convenience compared to the injectable Zepbound, enhancing its market appeal.
- Sales Growth Potential: Although Foundayo is just starting its commercial journey, CEO David Ricks expressed optimism about its uptake, suggesting that prescriptions and sales may exceed internal expectations, akin to Zepbound's impressive 80% year-over-year sales growth to nearly $4.2 billion in Q1 2023.
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- Employee Communication: The change was communicated to employees via email on June 1, demonstrating Cigna's efforts in transparency and communication, although this move may raise concerns among employees regarding health management resources.
- Commitment to Health Management: A Cigna spokesperson confirmed that despite ending coverage for GLP-1 drugs, the company remains committed to supporting employee health through a variety of weight management programs and resources, aiming to mitigate potential negative impacts from the policy change.
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- Diverse Investment Strategies: JPMorgan compiles its top picks each month across various investment strategies, including growth, income, value, and shorts, ensuring that its investment ideas differ from fundamental ratings to cater to diverse investor needs.
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See More
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- New Drug Launch: The FDA approval of Foundayo as the first oral weight loss pill is expected to attract more patients, particularly due to its convenience compared to the injectable Zepbound, enhancing its market appeal.
- Sales Growth Potential: Although Foundayo is just starting its commercial journey, CEO David Ricks expressed optimism about its uptake, suggesting that prescriptions and sales may exceed internal expectations, akin to Zepbound's impressive 80% year-over-year sales growth to nearly $4.2 billion in Q1 2023.
- Market Expansion Strategy: Eli Lilly is not only focusing on weight loss drugs but also announced the acquisition of three private vaccine developers at the end of May, demonstrating its commitment to expanding across multiple therapeutic areas and solidifying its leadership in the pharmaceutical industry.
See More
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- Investment Opportunity Identification: CNBC's Jim Cramer suggests that investors should consider out-of-favor sectors, particularly as tech stocks may retreat, highlighting potential beneficiaries like JPMorgan, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, McDonald's, Yum! Brands, and Kraft Heinz.
- Financial Sector Potential: Cramer points out that JPMorgan's forward P/E ratio is around 13 times, down from 15 at the beginning of the year, and despite a 7% decline year-to-date, its value as a quality franchise remains attractive, indicating investment opportunities amid economic slowdown concerns.
- Healthcare Sector Outlook: Cramer believes Johnson & Johnson's drug pipeline and growing medical technology business present significant growth potential, suggesting it may offer a more attractive investment opportunity than Eli Lilly, while advising investors to buy slowly due to market uncertainties.
- Consumer Goods and Restaurant Sector: Cramer highlights Kimberly-Clark's household brand portfolio and appealing dividend yield, along with the investment value of McDonald's and Yum! Brands, particularly with Yum! potentially selling Pizza Hut, which enhances its investment appeal.
See More
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- Policy Change Announcement: Cigna has decided to stop covering GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, including Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound, effective July 1, reflecting the company's response to increased availability of these medications.
- Employee Communication: The change was communicated to employees via email on June 1, demonstrating Cigna's efforts in transparency and communication, although this move may raise concerns among employees regarding health management resources.
- Commitment to Health Management: A Cigna spokesperson confirmed that despite ending coverage for GLP-1 drugs, the company remains committed to supporting employee health through a variety of weight management programs and resources, aiming to mitigate potential negative impacts from the policy change.
- Market Impact Potential: This policy shift may affect the market demand for GLP-1 drugs, particularly within Cigna's employee base, potentially prompting other insurers to reassess their coverage, thereby influencing dynamics across the industry.
See More
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- Eli Lilly Options Volume: Eli Lilly's options volume today reached 34,325 contracts, equivalent to approximately 3.4 million shares, representing 106.1% of its average daily trading volume over the past month, indicating strong market interest in the stock.
- High Demand Strike Price: Among Eli Lilly's options, the $1120 strike call option has been particularly active, with 7,208 contracts traded today, representing about 720,800 shares, reflecting investors' expectations for future price increases.
- Oklo Options Activity: Oklo's options trading volume hit 151,474 contracts, representing approximately 15.1 million shares, which is 105.1% of its average daily trading volume over the past month, showcasing positive sentiment towards the company.
- Oklo High Demand Strike Price: For Oklo, the $80 strike call option saw 18,030 contracts traded today, representing around 1.8 million shares, indicating a sustained bullish sentiment among investors regarding the stock.
See More
JPMorgan Updates June Investment Recommendations
- Strong Market Performance: U.S. stocks closed May at record highs, with the Nasdaq Composite rising over 8%, the S&P 500 up 5%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average increasing by 3%, indicating robust performance from technology stocks and reflecting heightened investor confidence in the market.
- Diverse Investment Strategies: JPMorgan compiles its top picks each month across various investment strategies, including growth, income, value, and shorts, ensuring that its investment ideas differ from fundamental ratings to cater to diverse investor needs.
- New Recommendation for Viasat: Viasat, a global provider of high-speed satellite broadband, has been added to JPMorgan's recommendations; despite its stock soaring over 730% in the past year, it dropped 16% in the last two days after filing a shelf registration to sell stock or debt, indicating market uncertainty about its future performance.
- Eli Lilly's Market Dominance: Eli Lilly's renewed focus on vaccines and infectious disease treatments, along with CVS Health restoring coverage for its weight-loss injection Zepbound, further solidifies its market dominance, with its stock hitting an all-time high last Thursday, trading approximately 73% above last August's 52-week low.
See More
Investment Case for Viking Therapeutics' VK2735 Weight-Loss Drug Development
- Clinical Trial Progress: Viking Therapeutics' VK2735 is undergoing a Phase 1 maintenance clinical trial involving approximately 180 participants, with results expected in Q3 this year, which could significantly influence investor perceptions of the stock.
- Comparative Efficacy Advantage: VK2735 demonstrated a 12.2% mean weight loss in the Phase 2 Venture oral trial after 13 weeks, suggesting potential superiority over Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, which achieved 16.6% weight loss over 64 weeks, indicating VK2735's oral formulation may be more effective.
- Safety and Tolerability Considerations: Despite VK2735's promising weight loss results, a 20% discontinuation rate due to adverse events in the Phase 2 trial highlights the need for further validation of safety and tolerability to bolster confidence in Phase 3 trials.
- Market Competitive Outlook: Should VK2735 demonstrate superior efficacy and safety in upcoming Phase 3 trials compared to Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk's offerings, Viking could gain a competitive edge by offering a regimen that combines initial subcutaneous dosing followed by oral administration, potentially driving stock price increases.
See More
