Best Growth Stock to Buy Right Now: Eli Lilly vs. Vertex Pharmaceuticals

By Prosper Junior Bakiny – Mar 19, 2026 at 2:30PM ESTKey PointsEli Lilly has strong momentum thanks to its leadership in the weight loss market.Vertex Pharmaceuticals' core franchise and newer approvals could drive top-line growth for a long time.One one of these drugmakers is performing better than the other on multiple fronts. Eli Lilly (LLY 0.06%) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX +1.37%) have several things in common. Both are among the more prominent drugmakers in the world, and both have delivered market-beating returns over the past decade, although the larger Eli Lilly has performed much better on that front. Investors choosing between these two stocks can hardly go wrong, but which will be the better performer over the next five to 10 years? Let's try to answer that question. Image source: Getty Images. The case for Eli Lilly Eli Lilly currently leads the rapidly growing weight-loss market. The company's tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Zepbound, is now the world's best-selling drug. Over the next two years, the pharmaceutical leader should add several weight loss products to its lineup. The company is gearing up to launch orforglipron, an oral GLP-1, which could earn the green light in the second quarter. The healthcare giant also posted strong phase 3 results for retatrutide, another promising weight-loss candidate, in December. ExpandNYSE: LLYEli LillyToday's Change(-0.06%) $-0.55Current Price$917.50Key Data PointsMarket Cap$867BDay's Range$910.86 - $924.5352wk Range$623.78 - $1133.95Volume2.4MAvg Vol3.1MGross Margin83.04%Dividend Yield0.68% Meanwhile, Eli Lilly's newer approvals in other fields should also make headway, including Kisunla for Alzheimer's disease and Ebglyss for eczema. They won't be the company's main growth drivers, but they will help somewhat diversify its lineup. Lastly, Eli Lilly is looking to boost its already strong innovative engine by investing in artificial intelligence (AI). The company's lineup should drive top-line growth for the foreseeable future, while its AI initiatives help strengthen its moat. The case for Vertex Pharmaceuticals Vertex Pharmaceuticals generates strong sales and profits thanks to its medicines that treat the underlying causes of cystic fibrosis (CF), the only such drugs on the market. While this business remains strong, the company has expanded. Over the past few years, Vertex Pharmaceuticals has earned approval for Casgevy, a treatment for sickle cell disease, and Journavx, a medicine for acute pain. Vertex Pharmaceuticals is looking to further diversify its lineup. It recently reported strong phase 3 results for povetacicept, an investigational therapy for IgA nephropathy, a kidney disease. ExpandNASDAQ: VRTXVertex PharmaceuticalsToday's Change(1.37%) $6.17Current Price$457.76Key Data PointsMarket Cap$115BDay's Range$449.75 - $459.4652wk Range$362.50 - $515.67Volume68KAvg Vol1.5MGross Margin86.32% The company is planning to build a kidney disease franchise around povetacicept -- with which it will target other diseases -- and inaxaplin, which is being developed to treat APOL-1 mediated kidney disease. Then there is zimislecel, a potential therapy for Type 1 diabetes for which Vertex could request regulatory approval this year. The biotech's core CF franchise can still drive top-line growth well into the 2030s. After that, newer approvals will eventually help the company move beyond its CF business. The verdict If I could only choose one of these stocks, I'd pick Eli Lilly. The company is generating higher revenue and net income while also growing both metrics faster than its smaller competitor. LLY Revenue (Quarterly) data by YCharts Further, even as the weight-loss market becomes more competitive, Eli Lilly's deep pipeline should help it keep the lead in this growing niche. Lastly, both companies are similarly valued, with Vertex's forward price-to-earnings ratio of 24.2 not much lower than Eli Lilly's 26.9. Perhaps if Vertex were much cheaper, it would be the better option right now, but it's not, which gives Eli Lilly the edge.Read NextMar 19, 2026 •By Reuben Gregg BrewerIs It Too Late to Buy Eli Lilly?Mar 17, 2026 •By Adria CiminoBetter Weight Loss Drug Stock Buy: Eli Lilly vs Viking TherapeuticsMar 17, 2026 •By Prosper Junior BakinyWorried the AI Hype Won't Last?

These Dividend Stocks Offer Safer ExposureMar 17, 2026 •By Rich SmithWhy Eli Lilly Stock Just DroppedMar 16, 2026 •By David Jagielski, CPAIs There Too Much Bullishness Priced Into Eli Lilly's Stock Price?Mar 13, 2026 •By Prosper Junior BakinyIs Eli Lilly's Weight Loss Empire in Trouble?About the AuthorProsper Junior Bakiny is a contributing Motley Fool healthcare analyst covering biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare stocks.

Before The Motley Fool, Prosper wrote about investing topics ranging from stock market news to private equity for various companies. He holds a master’s degree in corporate finance from the University of Maryland Global Campus.TMFPBakinyStocks MentionedEli LillyNYSE: LLY$916.93(-0.12%)-$1.12Vertex PharmaceuticalsNASDAQ: VRTX$457.76(+1.37%)+$6.17*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.