Novo Nordisk takes action to stop multiple misleading national GLP-1 advertising campaigns by Eli Lilly

• A lawsuit, filed today in federal court, challenges a nationwide pattern of deceptive advertising which confuses consumers by using outdated studies to compare the highest injectable doses of Lilly’s medicines against lower doses of Novo Nordisk’s injectable medicines for obesity and type 2 diabetes
• These high-profile US advertising campaigns create the misleading impression that Lilly’s medicines are superior, including by withholding critical scientific evidence about newer, more effective FDA-approved options, such as the 7.2 mg dose of Wegovy^® (semaglutide), which showed an average weight loss of 19% (~47 pounds)
• People deserve evidence-based, up-to-date information they can trust when making decisions about their health. Novo Nordisk has taken this step because Americans should not be denied the full picture of their treatment options

Plainsboro, NJ and Bagsværd, Denmark, 21 July 2026 – Novo Nordisk Inc. announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Eli Lilly and Company and Lilly USA, LLC in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey for multiple violations of federal and state false advertising and unfair competition laws, including under the Lanham Act. The lawsuit challenges Lilly’s nationwide direct-to-consumer advertising for Zepbound (tirzepatide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) as false and materially misleading to the millions of Americans living with obesity and type 2 diabetes because it omits relevant information about the most effective injectable doses of Wegovy^® (semaglutide) and Ozempic^® (semaglutide) available. This action follows Lilly’s refusal to pull down or meaningfully correct certain ads, despite a formal cease-and-desist request from Novo Nordisk.

“As new and more effective treatment options become available, people deserve accurate information that reflects the latest scientific evidence and helps them make informed care decisions,” said John F. Kuckelman, senior vice president and Group General Counsel, Novo Nordisk. “Healthcare companies have a responsibility to keep their public claims accurate and current — ineffective, fine-print disclaimers do not fix the misleading impression created by major national campaigns.”

As detailed in Novo Nordisk’s complaint, Lilly’s current advertising campaigns intentionally selected outdated studies that compare Lilly’s highest doses against lower doses of Novo Nordisk’s medicines, deceptively presenting those results as proof of broad, product-level superiority while burying or omitting critical clinical context:

• Zepbound vs Wegovy^®: The campaign relies on an outdated comparison of the maximum tolerated dose of 10/15 mg of Zepbound vs 1.7/2.4 mg of Wegovy^®. The advertisements do not include the highest dose of injectable Wegovy^®, 7.2 mg, approved by the FDA in March 2026, which demonstrated an average ~19% reduction in bodyweight (about 47 pounds)*.
  • This ad is especially misleading because there is no head-to-head clinical trial comparing the highest doses of these two medicines.
  • This consumer campaign has aired during recent, widely viewed global sporting broadcasts and on TikTok and Facebook, causing widespread confusion.
• Mounjaro vs. Ozempic^®: Lilly’s advertising compares Mounjaro at its highest dose (15 mg) against a lower dose of injectable Ozempic^® (1 mg), despite the FDA having approved a higher, more effective maintenance dose of Ozempic^® (2 mg) more than four years ago.

Through this action, Novo Nordisk is seeking a permanent injunction requiring Lilly to pull its misleading comparative advertising across all platforms and to conduct a corrective advertising campaign. We have also communicated to Lilly that if they do not voluntarily pull these ads, Novo Nordisk intends to file a formal motion with the Court in the coming days seeking a preliminary injunction to immediately block them, with evidence that consumers are being confused and misled by Lilly’s ads.

*About the STEP UP trial
The STEP UP trial was a 72-week study which evaluated the efficacy and safety of once-weekly Wegovy^® 7.2 mg compared to placebo and Wegovy^® 2.4 mg, as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention in 1,407 adults with obesity (BMI 30 kg/m² or greater), without diabetes. At 72 weeks, mean weight loss with Wegovy^® 7.2 mg was ~19% (18.8%), about 47 pounds, versus 3.9% (about 10 pounds) with placebo. The most common adverse reactions reported with Wegovy^® 7.2 mg were nausea, vomiting, dysesthesia, constipation, abdominal pain, fatigue, headache, dizziness, hair loss and flatulence.

About Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company with a heritage of more than 100 years in diabetes care. Building on this foundation, our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases — from diabetes and obesity to rare blood and endocrine disorders — by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. We are committed to long-term, responsible business practices that deliver financial, social and environmental value. Headquartered in Denmark and operating in around 80 countries, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 67,900 people and markets products in roughly 170 countries. In the United States, Novo Nordisk has a 40-year presence, is headquartered in New Jersey and employs approximately 10,000 people across more than 10 manufacturing, R&D, and corporate locations in seven states plus Washington, D.C. For more information, visit novonordisk.com and novonordiskus.com, and follow on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and YouTube.  

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Amir Sohail