Eli Lilly & Co. is asking people who took copies of its blockbuster weight loss drug to give the company access to their medical records as it continues to build a case against businesses selling the compounded drugs.

As weight-loss treatments dominate the pharmaceutical market, Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG (SWX: NOVN) is choosing a different path. While competitors like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk race to capture the booming weight-loss drug market,

As Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk continue to dominate the lucrative weight-loss drug market, smaller competitors are gearing up to release their own treatments, aiming to challenge the two industry leaders.

Eli Lilly's experimental next generation weight-loss drug mimics three hormones instead of just one or two and continues to show promising clinical trial results for additional health benefits, the company said.

Eli Lilly & Co. is asking people who took copies of its blockbuster weight loss drug to give the company access to their medical records for safety reasons, a move that comes as it builds a case against businesses selling the compounded drugs.

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are offering discounts to encourage more insurance coverage of the medicines, which carry price tags of over $1,000 a month.

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis said Wednesday that it does not plan to enter into the "frenzy" of weight loss drugs.

The weight-loss market is heating up as a number of companies are looking for a way to upend the dominance of market leaders Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly by introducing GLP-1 pills.