Eli Lilly 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,

Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly & Co. announced promising results from a large study of its own tablet in diabetes patients last month.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE: NVO) is seeking FDA approval for the pill version of its obesity drug, Wegovy. The company highlights early data that shows safety and efficacy figures that are similar to its injectables.