Novo Nordisk sues Eli Lilly, alleging misleading GLP-1 advertising - CNBC

What the report says

CNBC reported that Novo Nordisk filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Eli Lilly in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, accusing its rival of misleading advertising around competing GLP-1 drugs for obesity and diabetes. Novo alleges Lilly’s national TV and social media campaigns use older clinical comparisons that place the highest doses of Lilly’s medicines against lower-dose versions of Novo’s products, leaving consumers with an inaccurate impression that Lilly’s drugs are superior.

According to CNBC, Novo is asking the court to permanently bar the challenged ads, order corrective advertising and award financial damages. The company also said it may seek a preliminary injunction if Lilly does not voluntarily remove the campaigns. Novo’s general counsel, John Kuckelman, told CNBC the lawsuit followed a cease-and-desist request in April that Lilly declined to satisfy.

The dispute centers partly on Lilly ads comparing Zepbound with Wegovy, including claims based on a head-to-head trial involving lower Wegovy doses. Novo argues those ads do not adequately reflect newer evidence on its 7.2-milligram Wegovy dose, approved in March, which the company says produced weight-loss results closer to Lilly’s product. CNBC reported Novo also raised similar concerns about Lilly comparisons involving Mounjaro and Ozempic.

Lilly, in a statement cited by CNBC, said it stands by its advertising and described the head-to-head trial it relies on as the strongest available direct evidence. The case underscores the increasingly aggressive competition between the two drugmakers in the fast-growing GLP-1 market, where efficacy claims, pricing, new formulations and consumer perception can affect prescribing decisions and market share.