Supreme Court Upholds Qui Tam Suits and Zepbound Trails Wegovy 1.5x
US Supreme Court refused to hear Eli Lilly’s challenge to the False Claims Act, preserving the risk of qui tam suits that have recovered billions. Citi data show Lilly’s Zepbound has about two-thirds of the competitor’s 137,000 weekly Wegovy pill prescriptions in week 18, underscoring market share gap.
1. Supreme Court Declines Challenge
On May 18 the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Eli Lilly’s appeal challenging the Civil War–era False Claims Act whistleblower provisions. This leaves intact the mechanism that has allowed private plaintiffs to pursue qui tam suits, potentially exposing Lilly to future multi-billion dollar recoveries.
2. Zepbound vs Wegovy Prescription Data
Weekly prescription tracking shows the Wegovy oral pill reaching roughly 137,000 scripts in its 18th week, 1.5 times the volume of Lilly’s Zepbound at the same launch stage. Lower-dose Zepbound fell 5% week-over-week, while overall capture limitations may understate actual demand.
3. Bernstein Conference Participation
Eli Lilly’s Chief Scientific and Product Officer, Daniel Skovronsky, will host a fireside chat at Bernstein’s 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference on May 28 at 1:30 p.m. ET, with a live audio webcast available on the company’s investor website and replay archived for 90 days.