Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar aims to capture 15 million new patients when Medicare starts covering obesity treatments for the first time this year. Medicare will cover obesity medicines under drug pricing deals Novo and Eli Lilly struck with President Donald Trump. Health experts estimate 20 to 30 million Medicare patients suffer from obesity-related conditions.

Doustdar believes Medicare coverage, along with Novo’s new obesity pill, will boost prescription volumes and offset lower prices in the U.S. following the agreement with Trump. He anticipates gradual expansion of access to obesity treatments under Medicare, unlike Lilly who expects coverage by July. Novo is negotiating with the government on the exact launch date.

Novo is working to close the market share gap in the GLP-1 space with Lilly and cheaper copycats. The company is focusing on boosting preference share for its weight loss treatment Wegovy over Lilly’s injections. Novo’s pill is slightly more effective than Lilly’s based on separate clinical trials, showing a 40% difference in efficacy. Launching a higher dose of Wegovy could help win market share from Lilly’s Zepbound.

Read more at CNBC: Medicare coverage opens 15 million-patient opportunity