Eli Lilly Zepbound Leader Joins Zealand Pharma as Head of US Marketing
Silvia Luque spent nearly 13 years at Lilly.
As it gears up to enter the obesity drug race, Zealand Pharma has picked up a marketing leader with plenty of high-profile experience in the space.
The Danish biotech has tapped Silvia Luque, a longtime Eli Lilly alum, to serve as head of U.S. marketing, according to a recent announcement on LinkedIn by Luque.
Luque spent more than 12 years at Lilly. Her tenure at the Big Pharma began in a series of brand manager and director roles in areas including GLP-1s and diabetes. By 2021, she was senior director of HCP marketing for the U.S. GLP-1 diabetes portfolio, and in 2022 she was named executive director of commercial strategy for Zepbound, tasked with helping to lead the initial U.S. launch and subsequent commercial expansion of Lilly’s first obesity drug.
In her post, Luque cited her role on the Zepbound team as a highlight of her career, one that “helped change the conversation around obesity, reinforcing that it is a chronic disease deserving of evidence-based care, not judgment.”
She continued, “I’m excited to continue this mission at Zealand Pharma. Advancing obesity care and helping people live healthier, longer lives has become deeply personal to me, and I’m honored to help shape the next chapter of obesity care.”
solli’s Final Thoughts
Zealand Pharma doesn’t yet have any approved obesity drugs on the market, but its pipeline comprises several in development, including two either in or approaching phase 3 trials. Luque’s appointment clearly signals Zealand’s efforts to lay the groundwork for its expected launches.
The move also treads familiar ground: Last year, Kailera Therapeutics, another obesity market challenger, hired away Jamie Coleman, who’d most recently served as VP of marketing and U.S. brand leader for Zepbound at Lilly, to serve as chief commercial officer.
In a “David and Goliath”-esque scenario—where a smaller drugmaker is seeking to challenge industry heavyweights like Lilly and Novo Nordisk, among many other competitors, in the über-popular obesity ring—tapping a tried-and-true leader from one of those heavyweights is certainly a strong strategy for mounting the challenge.
They arrive on the scene already equipped with thorough knowledge of a specific market sector, and what works and what doesn’t when reaching HCPs and patients, allowing the fledgling marketing team to hit the ground running in establishing a framework built around those proven strategies.
