The obesity drug helped people trim about two inches more off their waists than Wegovy in the first head-to-head study of the rival medicines.

Eli Lilly & Co.’s obesity drug Zepbound helped people trim about two inches more off their waists than Novo Nordisk A/S’s Wegovy in the first head-to-head study of the rival medicines.

In addition to eliciting greater weight loss than Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, Eli Lilly’s Zepbound does not come at the expense of safety, according to newly released comprehensive tolerability data—findings that Leerink analysts say confirm the GLP-1 drug’s edge in the closely watched market race.