Eli Lilly and Company has announced the launch of the Lilly Change the Course Commitment, a new global health initiative aimed at addressing gaps in access to diabetes and obesity treatments in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The company has set a goal of achieving parity in the number of patients treated with its diabetes and obesity medicines in resource-limited settings and high-income countries before 2040.
According to Lilly, access to innovative diabetes and obesity medicines remains significantly lower in resource-limited settings despite these regions carrying a substantial share of the global disease burden. The company said that for every four people in high-income countries who have access to Lilly's diabetes and obesity medicines, only one person in LMICs currently has access to these treatments.
Under the new commitment, Lilly plans to consider the needs of patients in resource-limited settings earlier in the development of its medicines. This includes considerations related to clinical trials, medical presentations, storage requirements and other factors that can influence whether medicines can be effectively distributed and used in countries with limited healthcare resources.
The company also plans to expand the registration of its innovative diabetes and obesity medicines in additional low- and middle-income countries. Lilly said its efforts will particularly focus on regions including Africa, Latin America and Asia, where improving access to innovative treatments could help address significant treatment gaps.
In addition to expanding medicine availability, Lilly said the initiative will focus on strengthening healthcare systems. The company plans to collaborate with global health organizations and other partners on activities such as training community health workers, using digital technologies and improving awareness, prevention, diagnosis and management of diabetes and obesity.
Lilly highlighted the scale of the challenge, stating that four out of five adults living with diabetes and seven out of ten adults living with obesity are in low- and middle-income countries. The company said the new commitment is intended to address barriers beyond medicine supply, including healthcare infrastructure, diagnosis, disease awareness and access to treatment.
The Change the Course Commitment builds on Lilly's previous 30x30 global health initiative. Lilly said the earlier initiative reached 40 million people in resource-limited settings in 2025, exceeding its original goal of reaching 30 million people annually by 2030.
The company also highlighted orforglipron, its once-daily oral GLP-1 medicine, as an example of a treatment that could potentially support wider access because it can be stored at room temperature. Lilly said it is continuing to study orforglipron for conditions including type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Lilly said it will report progress on the Change the Course Commitment through its annual Sustainability Report and at key global health forums. The company has set the target of achieving parity in the number of patients treated in resource-limited settings and high-income countries with its diabetes and obesity medicines before 2040.
