Novo sues Lilly, claiming misleading ads in weight-loss drug battle
By Maggie Fick and Michael Erman
Tue, July 21, 2026 at 10:55 PM GMT+5:30
4 min read
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LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) – Novo Nordisk sued rival Eli Lilly in a U.S. federal court on Tuesday, accusing the U.S. drugmaker of false advertising in claiming its weight-loss medicines outperform Novo’s drugs
The Danish company filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, alleging Lilly violated federal and state false advertising and unfair competition laws, including the Lanham Act, through nationwide advertising campaigns for obesity drug Zepbound and diabetes treatment Mounjaro
Novo alleges Lilly compared the highest approved doses of its medicines with lower doses of Novo’s Wegovy and Ozempic while omitting newer, higher-dose versions that Novo says deliver greater weight loss
“The ads are maliciously and deceptively false because Lilly knowingly cites outdated clinical trials that compare the highest doses of the Lilly medicines to lower doses of Novo Nordisk’s medicines,” Novo wrote in its complaint
But Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly said it stands firmly behind its ads, which are based on the results of its SURMOUNT-5 trial. That trial — completed in 2024 — compared patients on 10 mg or 15 mg of Lilly’s Zepbound to patients on 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg doses of Wegovy. The FDA approved a 7.2 mg dose of Wegovy in March of this year
“Rather than compete on the merits of its products, Novo is asking a court to stop Lilly from communicating the results of that trial,” a Lilly spokesperson said in a statement. “We will continue to focus on the science and defend against this lawsuit vigorously.”
Novo and Lilly are locked in a fierce battle for dominance in the U.S. obesity drug market, which analysts expect to be worth more than $100 billion by 2030
The U.S. is one of only a handful of countries that allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise prescription medicines directly to consumers. Drugmakers spend billions of dollars every year on television and other advertising
Novo was first to market with weight-loss injection Wegovy, but later lost the lead to Lilly’s rival Zepbound. After replacing its CEO and issuing multiple profit warnings last year, Novo has landed a counterpunch with oral Wegovy, whose strong demand has held up despite the launch of Lilly’s competing pill
Novo said it is seeking a court order requiring Lilly to withdraw the advertisements and run a corrective advertising campaign. It added that it plans to seek a preliminary injunction if Lilly does not voluntarily remove the ads
Pharmaceutical companies regularly sue each other over patent infringement claims. False advertising suits are less common
