May 12 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly ( LLY ) said on Sunday its

drug Zepbound was superior to Novo Nordisk's Wegovy

across five weight-loss targets such as reducing waist

circumference, citing data from a head-to-head trial.

The data is the first head-to-head trial comparing the

wildly popular medicines, and gives Lilly more firepower as it

seeks to gain wider insurance coverage in an obesity drug market

estimated to reach more than $150 billion annually by the next

decade.

Zepbound helped nearly 25% more participants lose more than

15% of their weight compared to Wegovy, Lilly said on Sunday.

The trial also showed that treatment with Zepbound achieved

a superior average waist circumference reduction of 18.4

centimeters (cm), while those treated with Wegovy saw an average

reduction of 13 cm.

Novo Nordisk said in an emailed statement on Monday that

the weight-loss for Wegovy in the head-to-head trial was lower

than in a 2021 trial with similar dose.

"Obesity is about more than just a number on a scale,"

Novo said, adding that Wegovy is the only medicine from a class

of digestion-slowing medicines known as GLP-1 agonists approved

to prevent major cardiovascular events like heart attack.

The company also said a

trial

with higher dose of semaglutide this year showed greater

weight-loss.

Lilly reported in December that its obesity drug had already

met the main goal, leading to 47% more weight loss than those

who received Wegovy. Full data from the study was reported by

the company in a press release and presented at the European

Congress on Obesity.

The results of the head-to-head trial come days after CVS

Health's ( CVS ) decision to drop Zepbound from some lists of

medicines it covers for reimbursement, instead favoring Wegovy.

While Lilly's drug mimics two gut hormones to help reduce

weight, Wegovy has a single mode of action.

U.S. approvals for Zepbound and Wegovy were based on

separate trials in which Lilly's drug helped patients lose more

than 22% of their weight after 72 weeks, while Wegovy led to 15%

weight loss after 68 weeks.