Novo Nordisk sues Eli Lilly over weight-loss drug ads
7 reported
Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic, announced on Tuesday it is suing US rival Eli Lilly over advertisements for its weight-loss and anti-diabetes treatments. The Danish company alleges that Eli Lilly’s ads are “false and materially misleading,” claiming the US group “intentionally selected outdated studies” that compared its highest doses against lower doses of Novo Nordisk’s medicines. Novo Nordisk stated that the ads “deceptively (presented) those results as proof of broad, product-level superiority while burying or omitting critical clinical context.” The target of the lawsuit is an advertising campaign aired during recent global sporting broadcasts and on TikTok and Facebook, which Novo Nordisk said caused “widespread confusion.” Eli Lilly responded by stating that the trial underpinning its advertising, known as Surmount-5, is “the only direct, head-to-head randomised clinical trial comparing tirzepatide and semaglutide in the context of weight management.” An Eli Lilly spokesperson added that “rather than competing on the merits of its products, Novo is asking a court to prevent Lilly from communicating the results of this trial. We firmly stand by our advertising campaign.”
What’s reported
Novo Nordisk announced on Tuesday it is suing Eli Lilly over ads for weight-loss and anti-diabetes treatments.
Novo Nordisk alleges the ads are “false and materially misleading.”
The Danish company claims Eli Lilly “intentionally selected outdated studies” comparing highest doses against lower doses of Novo Nordisk’s medicines.
Novo Nordisk says the ads “deceptively (presented) those results as proof of broad, product-level superiority while burying or omitting critical clinical context.”
The advertising campaign aired during recent global sporting broadcasts and on TikTok and Facebook.
Eli Lilly responded that the Surmount-5 trial is “the only direct, head-to-head randomised clinical trial comparing tirzepatide and semaglutide in the context of weight management.”
An Eli Lilly spokesperson said the company “firmly stand(s) by our advertising campaign.”
Key figures
John F Kuckelman, Novo Nordisk’s general counsel
Eli Lilly spokesperson (not named)
Sources: The Guardian
