Eli Lilly built up $1.5 billion in pre-launch inventory for its experimental oral weight-loss drug orforglipron, according to a regulatory filing.

The announcement comes before the anticipated decision by FDA to approve the treatment, which is expected to be in April.¹ Orforglipron received a fast-track review voucher from the FDA, potentially shortening review timelines to as little as one to two months, compared with the typical 10 to 12 months for most new medicines.

The scale of the inventory marks a sharp increase from last year, when the company revealed $550 million in pre-launch supply for the pill.

The move underscores Lilly’s manufacturing strategy as it prepares for a potential near-simultaneous launch across multiple markets if the drug secures U.S. approval. The move also builds on the company’s recent announcement of positive topline results from Orforglipron’s Phase III trial.

Why is Lilly investing so much in pre-launch supply of Orforglipron?

Lilly has previously said it intends to ensure a sufficient supply of the weight loss drug at launch and is seeking to avoid the shortages that have affected the broader obesity drug market.

“There have been recent similar pre-launch inventory builds, especially around Covid-19 vaccines, but with the launch not coming until 2026, this earlier-than-normal inventory build is certainly much larger than normal,” said Kevin Gade, chief operating officer at Bahl & Gaynor, which owns Lilly shares.

Gade added that the strategy reflects Lilly’s intent to move quickly once approved and establish an early position in what is expected to remain a highly competitive obesity treatment market.²

Orforglipron named as defining GLP-1 drug of the next decade

Along with Eli Lilly, other companies have displayed belief in the oral GLP-1 treatment, such as Clarivate who named orforglipron as one of the defining GLP-1 drugs of the next decade alongside Lilly’s other oral GLP-1 treatment retatrutide.

“Orforglipron and retatrutide from Eli Lilly exemplify the next generation of metabolic therapies: oral formulations that promise improved adherence, triple-hormone mechanisms that deliver superior weight loss and expanded therapeutic applications spanning from brain health to renal disease,” Clarivate researchers noted. “The industry must now address critical challenges, including pricing negotiations, payer coverage limitations, supply constraints and the preservation of muscle mass during weight loss, with solutions emerging through novel mechanisms targeting amylin, cannabinoid receptors and activin pathways.”1

The company has also indicated it is expanding manufacturing capacity in parallel with the inventory build. On its recent earnings call, Lilly said it was already scaling production infrastructure for the drug.

Sources

1. Eli Lilly builds $1.5 billion stockpile of weight-loss pill ahead of FDA decision Reuters February 12, 2026 https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/eli-lilly-builds-15-billion-stockpile-weight-loss-pill-ahead-fda-decision-2026-02-12/
2. Eli Lilly bets big on weight-loss pill with $550 million inventory stockpile Reuters February 21, 2025 https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/eli-lilly-bets-big-weight-loss-pill-with-550-million-inventory-stockpile-2025-02-20/
3. Clarivate. Drugs to Watch 2026. Online. 2026. Accessed February 13, 2026. https://clarivate.com/drugs-to-watch/