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

“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As detailed in Novo Nordisk's complaint, Lilly’s current advertising campaigns intentionally selected outdated studies that compare Lilly’s highest doses against lower doses of Novo Nordisk's medicines, deceptively presenting those results as proof of broad,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:

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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