Eli Lilly has established itself as the market leader in obesity drugs in markets in Europe, Asia and the Middle East and expects to replicate its U.S. dominance in all markets, the company's international president told Reuters on Wednesday.

Patrik Jonsson, Lilly's Executive Vice President for markets outside the U.S., told Reuters that the drugmaker is using a consumer-focused commercial strategy similar to its approach in the United States, including partnerships with telehealth and digital platforms to reach patients who are overwhelmingly paying for weight-loss drugs out-of-pocket, from Britain to China to the United Arab Emirates.

(Reporting by Maggie Fick and Mrinalika Roy; Editing by Ros Russell)