Novo sues Lilly over 'deceptive' ads comparing GLP-1 drug doses

Novo Nordisk is suing Eli Lilly over allegedly deceptive TV and online ads comparing GLP-1 drugs like Zepbound vs Wegovy and Mounjaro vs Ozempic.

The lawsuit, filed on July 21, 2026 in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, claims Lilly’s ads compare the highest doses of Lilly drugs (Zepbound and Mounjaro) to lower doses of Novo drugs (Wegovy and Ozempic), while omitting newer, higher approved doses of Novo’s injectables.

Novo wants a court order to stop Lilly from running the comparison ads and to conduct a corrective advertising campaign, but does not seek to block Lilly’s products from being sold.

A key example is a Lilly TV ad saying people on Zepbound lost about 50 pounds vs about 33 pounds on Wegovy’s 2.4 mg dose, without clearly highlighting that a higher 7.2 mg Wegovy dose demonstrated similar weight loss of about 47 pounds.

Lilly points to a small on‑screen footnote noting the 7.2 mg Wegovy dose wasn’t in the study, but Novo argues this disclosure is ambiguous, confusing, and inadequate.