LLY vs. ABBV: Which Stock Has the Stronger Growth Prospects?

Lilly and AbbVie bring different growth drivers, pipelines and risks to the table. See which drugmaker offers the more compelling 2026 upside.

Kinjel Shah

5 min read

Eli Lilly LLY and AbbVie ABBV are leading U.S. drugmakers with established portfolios, blockbuster therapies, robust R&D pipelines, large market capitalizations and a strong global presence. Both have significant exposure to major therapeutic areas, including immunology, oncology and neuroscience. AbbVie has diversified into aesthetics and eye care, while Lilly has established a strong foothold in cardiometabolic health.

AbbVie’s growth has been driven largely by the success of its immunology portfolio, while Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound have emerged as key growth drivers, strengthening its position in the fast-growing cardiometabolic market.

Both companies are delivering solid revenues and profits and have promising growth prospects. But with different growth drivers, pipelines and challenges, which stock is the better investment option today? Let’s compare their fundamentals, growth outlook and key risks to make an informed choice.

The Case for Lilly Stock

Lilly has seen extraordinary momentum in its cardiometabolic franchise. Its blockbuster drugs, Mounjaro for type II diabetes and Zepbound for obesity, have become some of the fastest-growing medicines in pharmaceutical history, gaining from enormous global demand for GLP-1 therapies. These therapies account for around 65% of the company’s total revenues and have become key top-line drivers for Lilly, with demand rising rapidly. In the first half of 2026, the drugs generated combined sales of $27.6 billion.

Lilly’s newly launched once-daily oral GLP-1 pill, Foundayo (orforglipron), for treating obesity, can prove to be a commercial game-changer for Lilly. Oral pills will be a more convenient alternative to the currently available once-weekly injectable obesity treatments like Zepbound and rival Novo Nordisk’s NVO Wegovy. The launch uptake for Foundayo has been encouraging as Lilly expands physician engagement and direct-to-consumer promotion in the United States.

To maintain leadership in the GLP-1 market, Lilly is developing several next-generation, more powerful and more convenient GLP-1–based treatments, including oral options and multi-acting candidates. Retatrutide is one of Lilly’s most important late-stage pipeline candidates, targeting GLP-1, GIP and glucagon pathways and potentially delivering greater weight loss and broader metabolic benefits than current therapies. With late-stage studies spanning obesity, type II diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and other indications, Lilly plans to seek FDA approval in the first quarter of 2027, potentially creating another multibillion-dollar growth driver.

Lilly’s growth story is increasingly diversified beyond its GLP-1 franchise, with newer therapies such as Omvoh, Jaypirca, Ebglyss, Kisunla and Inluriyo gaining traction across multiple therapeutic areas. These products are becoming meaningful growth contributors.

The company has also embarked on an aggressive M&A spree in the past couple of years, acquiring biotech companies across oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular disease, gene editing, inflammation, cell therapy and vaccines to diversify its long-term growth drivers beyond GLP-1 therapies. The company has announced more than $20 billion in biotech deals this year.

Lilly has its share of problems. Prices of most of Lilly’s products are declining in the United States. Price is expected to continue to be a drag on top-line growth in the low to mid-teens percentage in 2026. Rising competition in the GLP-1 diabetes/obesity market is a key headwind. Also, sales of late-life cycle products like Trulicity, Taltz and Verzenio are expected to be flat to down in 2026.

The Case for AbbVie Stock

AbbVie has successfully navigated the loss of exclusivity (LOE) of its blockbuster drug, Humira, which once generated more than 50% of its total revenues. It has accomplished this by launching two other successful new immunology medicines, Skyrizi and Rinvoq, which are performing extremely well, bolstered by approvals in new indications, and should support top-line growth in the next few years.

In 2026, AbbVie expects combined Skyrizi and Rinvoq sales of more than $31 billion. It recorded $14.6 billion in sales in the first half. Combined, Skyrizi and Rinvoq are expected to deliver more than 20% growth in 2026.

However, AbbVie expects a low single-digit pricing headwind for both Skyrizi and Rinvoq in 2026 and over the next few years. Moreover, the launch of J&J’s JNJ new oral pill for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, Icotyde, has increased competitive pressure for Skyrizi, which can impact the product’s prescription trends. However, AbbVie seems confident that it can navigate competition from J&J’s Icotyde.

AbbVie is also benefiting from strong momentum outside immunology. The oncology franchise remains anchored by Venclexta and Elahere, while the neuroscience portfolio is also contributing to top-line growth, driven by higher sales of Botox Therapeutic, depression drug Vraylar, newer migraine drugs Ubrelvy and Qulipta and new Parkinson’s disease drug Vyalev.

Like Lilly, AbbVie has been on an acquisition spree over the past couple of years to bolster the early-stage pipeline that should drive long-term growth. It is signing several M&A deals in the immunology space, its core area, while also signing some early-stage deals in oncology and neuroscience. The approximately $10.9 billion pending acquisition of Apogee Therapeutics is expected to strengthen its late-stage immunology pipeline.

AbbVie boasts a robust pipeline and expects important data readouts, regulatory submissions and approvals throughout the rest of 2026.

The company faces some near-term headwinds like Humira’s biosimilar erosion, slowdown in oncology sales and soft sales of its Aesthetics unit for the past couple of years due to continued macro challenges and economic headwinds.

How Do Estimates Compare for LLY & ABBV?

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LLY’s 2026 sales and EPS implies a year-over-year increase of 35.4% and 48.4%, respectively. EPS estimates for 2026 and 2027 have risen over the past 30 days.