**BETA FINCH PODCAST SCRIPT**
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**ALEX:** Welcome to Beta Finch, your AI-powered earnings breakdown where we turn complex corporate calls into clear insights. I'm Alex.
**JORDAN:** And I'm Jordan. Today we're diving into Eli Lilly's Q4 2024 earnings - and wow, what a quarter for the pharmaceutical giant.
**ALEX:** Before we jump in, I need to share an important disclaimer: This podcast is AI-generated content for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing we discuss should be considered investment advice. Always do your own research and consult a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
**JORDAN:** Absolutely crucial reminder there. Now Alex, let's talk numbers because Lilly absolutely crushed it this quarter.
**ALEX:** They really did, Jordan. Revenue grew 45% in Q4 alone, and for the full year, they posted 32% growth. But here's the kicker - they exceeded their initial guidance by $4 billion. That's not a small miss on the upside, that's a massive beat.
**JORDAN:** And when you dig into what's driving this growth, it's really the incretin story - Mounjaro and Zepbound. Global Mounjaro sales hit $3.5 billion in Q4, while US Zepbound brought in $1.9 billion. These are the diabetes and obesity drugs that everyone's talking about.
**ALEX:** What I found fascinating in the call was CEO Dave Ricks addressing what he called the "turbulence" around demand predictions. There's been this narrative that maybe the obesity market isn't as big as everyone thought, with prescription growth slowing and supply catching up faster than expected.
**JORDAN:** Right, and one analyst - Steve Scala - basically asked the uncomfortable question everyone's thinking: "Are we all over our skis on this market?" But Ricks pushed back hard, saying they still believe this is a market with hundreds of millions of people globally and they're still gating promotion and launches because they can't make enough.
**ALEX:** That confidence is backed up by some interesting data points. Zepbound actually became the market leader in anti-obesity prescriptions in Q4, and they're seeing strong adherence rates - better than competitors in some cases.
**JORDAN:** Speaking of competition, let's talk about what's coming next because this is where it gets really interesting. They have Orforglipron, which is their oral GLP-1 drug, potentially launching in 2026. This could be a game-changer because it doesn't require refrigeration and addresses the 20-25% of patients who have needle phobia.
**ALEX:** The development timeline for Orforglipron is aggressive too. They're expecting multiple readouts in 2025 - up to five studies in diabetes and two in obesity. Dan Skovronsky, their Chief Scientific Officer, said they're aiming for efficacy similar to injectable single-acting GLP-1s, which would put it in the Ozempic range rather than the tirzepatide range.
**JORDAN:** But here's what I found most intriguing - they're not just staying in their lane. They're exploring incretins for brain health, substance use disorders, pain, and inflammation. They're essentially asking: "What else can these molecules do?"
**ALEX:** The pipeline is incredibly robust. Eight new Phase III programs started in 2024, and they're planning more for 2025. They're also expecting data from the tirzepatide cardiovascular outcomes study in Q3, which could be huge for reimbursement.
**JORDAN:** Let's talk margins because this is where Lilly is really showing operational leverage. Gross margins hit 83.2% in Q4, and they're guiding for 340 basis points of operating margin expansion in 2025. That's massive.
**ALEX:** CFO Lucas Montarce made an interesting comment about long-term margins though. They're not chasing the 50% operating margins that some analysts are projecting for the end of the decade. They believe reinvesting in R&D is more important for sustainable growth, keeping them in the low 40s range.
**JORDAN:** Smart approach, especially when you look at
This episode includes AI-generated content.
