GLP-1 marketing growth, biosimilar competition and China top pharma’s Q2 earnings

Eli Lilly said Q2 marketing, selling and admin rose 25% to $3.43B, tied to promotional campaigns for Mounjaro and Zepbound.

Near-term upside bias as guidance is raised, but investors may watch whether marketing intensity sustains demand versus biosimilar pressure.

The article links spend growth directly to active GLP-1 launches and reports an explicit year-end revenue forecast range increase.

Novo Nordisk reported cumulative Wegovy pill prescriptions exceeded 5 million within 30 weeks, while sales and distribution costs fell 13% YoY.

Moderately positive, with focus on whether oral Wegovy scale can offset competitive and trial setback risks mentioned.

The article provides hard launch volume and a cost decline, plus CEO commentary on failure risk amid competition.

Johnson & Johnson said selling, marketing and admin costs rose 9.2% to $6.43B as China volume-based acquisition policies hurt MedTech portfolios.

Mixed read-through: cost growth may be viewed as defensive, but China-related negatives can cap upside.

The text pairs higher SG&A with explicit negative China effects, creating offsetting signals.

Abbott’s SG&A jumped to $4.03B from $3.09B a year ago, following a similar push into new markets.

Limited directional conviction; traders may treat as a sector-wide marketing intensity signal rather than a standalone catalyst.

The article provides SG&A growth but no product-specific outcome or guidance change for Abbott.

Bristol Myers Squibb reported Q2 SG&A of $1.83B, driven by commercial marketing investments, field-force deployment, and launch activities.

Slightly positive bias if investors view marketing as supporting growth, but magnitude is not tied to a new forecast in the text.

The article gives SG&A drivers but no explicit guidance or sales datapoint for BMY.

Sanofi said Q2 selling and general expenses rose 9% at CER, while sales from recent launches increased 48.3% to $1.51B.

Positive near-term read-through as launch sales growth is explicitly reported alongside expense growth.

The article provides both the sales growth figure and the expense increase, linking them to recent launches.

Pfizer reported adjusted selling, informational and admin expenses of $3.34B, down 1% YoY, and plans $2.5B cost cuts from 2027-2029.

Mildly positive for margin expectations, with watch on whether reduced marketing undermines growth.

The article includes both a near-term expense decline and a concrete multi-year cost reduction plan.

Moderna’s Q2 SG&A fell 6% to $216M, and leadership kept full-year revenue guidance of roughly $1B while shifting priorities.

Neutral-to-slightly positive, depending on whether investors believe guidance is credible without broad brand spend.

The article provides the SG&A decline and explicitly states guidance is maintained.