Novo Nordisk seeks preliminary injunction against Lilly weight-loss ads

COPENHAGEN, July 24 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk said on Friday it is seeking a preliminary U.S. court injunction to immediately block obesity and diabetes drug advertisements by Eli Lilly, in a further escalation of the rivalry between the two groups.

Denmark's Novo and U.S. pharmaceuticals group Lilly are locked in a fierce battle for dominance in the obesity drug market, which analysts expect to be worth more than $100 billion by the end of this decade in the United States alone.

Novo announced on Tuesday it had sued Lilly, arguing consumers were being misled about how the companies' products compare, and that it would seek a preliminary injunction if the U.S. group did not voluntarily remove the disputed ads.

Lilly did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of U.S. office hours on Friday. The group on Tuesday said it denied any wrongdoing and stood by its advertising, and that it would vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit.

Novo Nordisk in its lawsuit alleges that Lilly violated false advertising and unfair competition laws through its campaigns for obesity drug Zepbound and diabetes treatment Mounjaro.

Novo claimed Lilly compared the highest approved doses of Zepbound and Mounjaro with lower doses of Novo's Wegovy and Ozempic while omitting newer, higher-dose versions of Novo's medicines that it says deliver greater weight loss.

The Danish group has argued that the advertisements create a misleading impression that Lilly's products are superior and has sought a permanent injunction requiring Lilly to withdraw the campaigns and conduct corrective advertising.