The weight-loss drug boom has transformed Eli Lilly (LLY), the maker of Zepbound, into the largest healthcare company in the world. Now, the pharma giant wants to reinvest its success with weight-loss meds into tackling some of the world’s toughest health challenges.

Eli Lilly is betting big on its experimental oral weight-loss drug even before reporting data from its late-stage trial by recording nearly $550 million in "pre-launch inventory" in its financial statements,

The results were consistent with the preliminary results Eli Lilly shared in January, which disappointed investors.

Eli Lilly’s (LLY) new weight loss pill is still in clinical trials and has not yet been approved by regulators. But that hasn’t stopped the