The move escalates a legal fight over advertising for Zepbound and Mounjaro as the drugmakers compete in a U.S. obesity market analysts expect to exceed $100 billion by decade-end.
Novo Nordisk said it is seeking a preliminary U.S. court injunction to immediately stop advertisements by Eli Lilly for obesity drug Zepbound and diabetes treatment Mounjaro, intensifying a dispute between the two companies over how their medicines are marketed. Novo had announced on Tuesday that it sued Lilly, alleging the ads misled consumers about how the products compare and warning it would pursue preliminary relief if the campaigns were not voluntarily withdrawn. The Danish drugmaker says Lilly compared the highest approved doses of Zepbound and Mounjaro with lower doses of Novo's Wegovy and Ozempic, while leaving out newer, higher-dose versions of Novo's medicines that it says produce greater weight loss. Novo argues the campaigns create a misleading impression that Lilly's products are superior and is also seeking a permanent injunction and corrective advertising. Lilly said on Tuesday it denied wrongdoing, stood by its advertising and would vigorously defend itself. Analysts expect the U.S. obesity drug market alone to be worth more than $100 billion by the end of this decade.