Lilly unveils Change the Course Commitment aimed at closing diabetes and obesity treatment gaps in lower-income countries

Through this new commitment, Lilly aims to expand access to its diabetes and obesity medicines so that as many people in resource-limited settings, including low- and middle-income countries, can be treated as in high-income countries by 2040

Eli Lilly and Company is launching the Lilly Change the Course Commitment, a new global health initiative built around a straightforward but ambitious goal: reaching parity in the number of patients treated. That means ensuring as many people with diabetes and obesity in resource-limited settings, including low- and middle-income countries, gain access to treatment as those in high-income countries.

Currently, for every four people in high-income countries with access to Lilly’s diabetes and obesity medicines, only one person in a low- or middle-income country can access the same treatment. To close that gap, Lilly plans to focus on three main areas: developing medicines with these settings in mind from the earliest stages, expanding registration and access pathways, and strengthening health systems on the ground.

The announcement comes on the heels of the completed Lilly 30×30 global health initiative, which reached its goal five years ahead of schedule, expanding access to quality healthcare for 40 million people in resource-limited settings during 2025, well beyond its original target of reaching 30 million people annually by 2030.

As a medicine company with more than a century of experience in diabetes care, Lilly says it is stepping up to help address a long-standing gap in the prevention, detection, treatment, and ongoing care of diabetes and obesity. As part of the commitment, the company will register its innovative diabetes and obesity medicines across low- and middle-income countries and work alongside health systems, regulators, global health organizations, NGOs, and other partners to help more people in resource-limited settings gain access to the medicines and care they need.

Why launch this commitment now

Four in five adults living with diabetes, and seven in ten adults living with obesity, reside in low- and middle-income countries, and prevalence continues to climb. Historically, people in these regions have waited decades to gain access to innovative medicines already available in wealthier countries. As a result, treatments capable of changing the course of diabetes and obesity still aren’t reaching many of the people who need them most.

Lilly has spent more than a century developing medicines for people living with diabetes and obesity, and as a leader in the field, the company says it wants to ensure access to these treatments keeps pace with scientific progress.

David A. Ricks, Lilly’s chair and CEO, said that for 150 years, the company has tackled some of humanity’s most pressing health challenges by turning scientific discovery into medicines that improve lives, work that has reshaped how diabetes and obesity, conditions affecting more than a billion people worldwide, are understood and treated. He said innovation only matters, though, once it actually reaches the people who need it, which is why Lilly is pushing further as a company centered on health above all else. Through the Change the Course Commitment, he said Lilly aims to treat as many people in resource-limited settings as it does in high-income countries with its diabetes and obesity medicines, noting that treatments like Foundayo (orforglipron), an oral medicine that can be stored at room temperature, will help the company scale and distribute access across a broader range of low- and middle-income countries.

How Lilly plans to close the gap

Beyond simple treatment availability, resource-limited settings face additional barriers, including fragmented health systems, limited healthcare infrastructure, and persistent gaps in access. To tackle these challenges, the Change the Course Commitment is structured around three focus areas.

The first involves developing medicines with the needs of resource-limited settings in mind from the earliest stages of clinical development, with attention to clinical trial design, medical formulations, and cold chain storage requirements.

The second focuses on registering and expanding access to medicines so people can benefit sooner. Lilly plans to register its innovative diabetes and obesity medicines, including its GLP-1 treatments, in a growing number of low- and middle-income countries, working with regulatory agencies and local health systems to accelerate access, with particular focus on Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

The third centers on strengthening health systems. Lilly intends to work with global health organizations to help build up primary health systems through training for community health workers, the use of technology and digital tools, and improved awareness, prevention, diagnosis, and care for these conditions in resource-limited settings.

Together, these efforts are intended to help more people extend their lifespan and improve their quality of life by managing diabetes and obesity earlier, reducing long-term complications and, over time, helping prevent new cases of both conditions from developing.

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Related Topics and Keywords

Diabetes, Eli Lilly, Lilly, obesity, obesity treatment