US judge refuses to block Eli Lilly weight-loss drug ads, rules against Novo Nordisk
NVO•A US judge rejected Novo Nordisk’s request to block Eli Lilly’s weight-loss drug advertisements, finding Novo Nordisk had not shown irreparable harm. The judge said the ads had at most a negligible market impact from April to July, while the litigation continues.
1. Injunction denied
US District Judge Zahid Quraishi rejected Novo Nordisk’s request for a preliminary injunction against Eli Lilly’s advertisements for Zepbound and Mounjaro. He said Novo Nordisk failed to show the ads threatened sales, undermined goodwill or caused lasting damage to its clinical reputation.
2. Dispute over comparisons
Novo Nordisk sued in July, alleging the ads violated false-advertising and unfair-competition laws by comparing higher doses of Lilly’s drugs with lower doses of Wegovy and Ozempic. One commercial said, with a written disclaimer, that users of Zepbound lost an average of 50 pounds, compared with 33 pounds for Wegovy users.
3. Litigation continues
Quraishi said the ads had at most a negligible market impact between April and July, with prescriptions for Novo Nordisk products remaining stable, and that money damages could compensate for any nontrivial harm. Novo Nordisk said it was disappointed and that the ruling did not decide whether Lilly’s advertising was false or misleading; Lilly denied wrongdoing and said it was pleased with the decision. Court papers showed Novo Nordisk reported about $32 billion in combined 2025 sales for obesity medicines and Ozempic.
