Novo Nordisk filed a lawsuit against Eli Lilly alleging that the pharmaceutical company used misleading advertisements to claim its obesity drugs are superior.
Novo Nordisk filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against Eli Lilly, alleging the company used misleading advertisements to claim its obesity and diabetes drugs outperform its rivals. The Danish drugmaker argues that Eli Lilly’s nationwide campaigns compare the highest doses of its medicines to lower doses of Novo's drugs, omitting newer, high-dose versions that offer more comparable weight loss. Novo Nordisk seeks a court order to permanently stop the advertisements and requires Eli Lilly to issue a corrective campaign. The lawsuit cites unfair competition and false advertising under the Lanham Act, noting that Eli Lilly's ads have reached over 700 million impressions. While Eli Lilly maintains that its ads are grounded in direct scientific evidence from head-to-head clinical trials, Novo Nordisk argues that the current ads deprive consumers of the complete information needed to make informed decisions. The company plans to seek a preliminary injunction if Eli Lilly does not voluntarily remove the ads.