Eli Lilly ( LLY 0.89%) has been growing its sales at a good clip over the past year. This is partly thanks to Zepbound, a weight loss medicine that's already generating more than $1 billion in quarterly sales, although it was approved only in late 2023.

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly (LLY) surged 14% last week to $840 per share following positive Phase 3 trial results for its oral weight-loss drug, orforglipron. With a market cap of $796 billion, LLY is the world’s most valuable healthcare company, and its trajectory suggests it could reach $1,000 per share or more by year-end 2025.

But this one, for Lilly’s first diabetes and weight-loss pill based on the GLP-1 hormone, was particularly fraught. Days before, rival pharma giant Pfizer had announced it was abandoning its oral weight-loss drug after worrying side effects involving liver problems were reported in one participant in the trial.