Novo Nordisk launches their legal action to halt a series of misleading national GLP-1 advertising campaigns by Eli Lilly

Novo Nordisk has recently brought a lawsuit against Eli Lilly and Company and Lilly USA before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, citing multiple breaches of federal and state laws governing false advertising and unfair competition, including provisions under the Lanham Act. The filing takes aim at Lilly’s nationwide consumer-facing advertising for Zepbound and Mounjaro, characterising it as dishonest and materially deceptive toward the many millions of Americans navigating obesity and type 2 diabetes, given that it strips out relevant information about the most potent injectable formulations of Wegovy and Ozempic. The move comes after Lilly rebuffed requests to withdraw or meaningfully amend certain advertisements following a formal cease-and-desist letter 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.”

According to the complaint lodged by Novo Nordisk, Lilly’s advertising deliberately cherry-picked outdated research that stacks its highest doses against reduced doses of Novo Nordisk’s treatments, framing the outcome as sweeping evidence of product-wide superiority while suppressing or glossing over essential clinical context.

On the question of Zepbound versus Wegovy, the campaign in question leans on an obsolete comparison setting Zepbound at its maximum tolerated dose of 10 or 15 mg against Wegovy at the considerably lower doses of 1.7 or 2.4 mg. No mention is made of Wegovy’s highest injectable dose of 7.2 mg, which the FDA approved in March 2026 and which produced an average reduction in body weight of around 19%, or approximately 47 pounds. The comparison is further undermined by the fact that no direct head-to-head clinical trial measuring the ceiling doses of both products has ever taken place. The campaign in question has featured prominently during major international sporting events and circulated widely across TikTok and Facebook, sowing considerable confusion among viewers.

Turning to Mounjaro versus Ozempic, Lilly’s promotional materials place Mounjaro at its ceiling dose of 15 mg in direct comparison with a 1 mg dose of injectable Ozempic, a framing that conveniently overlooks the higher 2 mg maintenance dose of Ozempic that the FDA approved well over four years ago.

Novo Nordisk is seeking through this action a permanent court order requiring Lilly to pull its misleading comparative advertising from every platform it occupies and to run a corrective campaign in its place. Novo Nordisk has also put Lilly on notice that if the advertisements are not voluntarily withdrawn, a motion for a preliminary injunction will be brought before the court within days, backed by evidence demonstrating the extent to which consumers have been misled.

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Related Topics and Keywords

Eli Lilly, GLP-1, Novo Nordisk, ozempic