Eli Lilly said patients taking its obesity drug Zepbound lost 47% more weight than those who were given Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in a study.

Eli Lilly (LLY), the pharma giant that produces the popular weight-loss drug Zepbound, said it plans to test the blockbuster drug as a treatment for alcohol and drug addiction starting next year.

Eli Lilly's popular weight-loss drug Zepbound outperformed Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in a clinical trial, according results of the study released Wednesday.

New data indicating Eli Lilly’s obesity shot Zepbound works better than Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy could add fuel to Lilly’s new efforts to market the drug as shortages ease. Recent months have brought new questions about whether the sky-high expectations for Zepbound’s sales—which have sent Lilly’s share price up more than 230% over the past three years—may be overly optimistic.

Eli Lilly & Co. Inc.’s stock rose 2.3% Wednesday, after the company said its Zepbound weight-loss drug was more effective than rival Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy in a head-to-head study. Zepbound achieved an average weight loss of 20.

Direct-to-consumer health and wellness company Ro will now offer access to lower-priced, single-dose vials of weight loss drug Zepbound through a new partnership with Eli Lilly. | Direct-to-consumer health and wellness company Ro will now offer access to lower-priced,

It is made possible through a first-of-a-kind integration with Eli Lilly’s direct-to-consumer website, and aims to streamline access to the popular treatment.

Patients self-administer the drug using a pre-dosed injector pen, but Lilly recently introduced the product in single-dose vials for injection via syringe -- a move to increase production of these popular drugs and decrease both costs of manufacturing and costs for the patient.

A new study is shedding light on which of two drugs currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for weight loss is most effective at helping people lose more weight in less time. Zepbound,