*

Lilly says it leads obesity drug market in UK, Spain,

Japan,

UAE, elsewhere

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Lilly using US consumer strategy globally

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Most patients paying for weight-loss drugs out-of-pocket

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Total prescriptions for Lilly drug in US market exceed

Novo's

(Adds details from interview in paragraphs 3-8, adds bullets)

By Maggie Fick and Mrinalika Roy

VIENNA, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly ( LLY ) has

established itself as the market leader in obesity drugs in

Europe, Asia and the Middle East and expects to replicate its

U.S. dominance globally, the company's international president

told Reuters on Wednesday.

Patrik Jonsson said that the drugmaker is applying a

consumer-focused commercial strategy similar to its U.S.

approach, including partnerships with telehealth and digital

platforms to reach patients who are mainly paying for

weight-loss drugs out-of-pocket, from Britain to China to the

United Arab Emirates.

"We learned very rapidly from the U.S. the importance of

taking a very strong consumer focus," said Jonsson. Lilly is

using that model in markets including Australia and China, where

it has partnered with e-commerce giants Alibaba ( BABA ) and

JD.com ( JD ), he said.

Lilly launched its weight-loss drug Mounjaro this year in

Mexico, Brazil, India and China after swiftly gaining market

share in Europe despite launching many months after rival Novo

Nordisk introduced its Wegovy weight-loss injection.

Jonsson said Lilly delayed some rollouts to ensure consistent

supply, avoiding the volume-capped launches by Novo in 2023 and

2024.

"Even if many countries wanted Mounjaro earlier, we

waited until the day when we believed we could have a reliable

supply in place." While Lilly did begin with limited supply in a

few countries, Jonsson said those caps were clearly communicated

and typically lifted within months.

He said that Lilly was well-positioned to increase its

supply of Mounjaro rapidly in multiple markets because it

produces the medicine in several formats, including an

auto-injector device and a vial format.

Novo Nordisk was first to market with a highly effective

GLP-1 obesity drug in 2021, but Lilly has pulled ahead this

year, with total prescriptions for Mounjaro now surpassing

Novo's Wegovy. Surging global demand for weight-loss drugs has

strained supply chains for both Novo and Lilly.

Lilly's shares are down about 1% year-to-date, compared

to a 41% drop in Novo shares.