"Reckitt Benckiser (LLY.US) weight loss drug advertisements face legal action! Accused by Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B (NVO.US) of 'misleading marketing'"

With the competition between two pharmaceutical giants intensifying, Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B (NVO.US) has filed a lawsuit in the United States Federal Court against Eli Lilly (LLY.US), accusing them of misleading advertising for their popular weight loss drug Zepbound and diabetes injection medication Mounjaro. The core of this lawsuit by Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B is an advertisement that Eli Lilly started running in April. John Cookman, the Chief Legal Officer of Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B, stated in an interview that the advertisement cited head-to-head research results of two drugs, claiming that patients using Zepbound lost an average of 50 pounds, while patients using Wegovy lost an average of 33 pounds. According to a copy of the lawsuit provided by the Danish pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B stated that Lilly's advertising campaign relied on outdated weight loss comparison data, comparing the low-dose Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B weight loss drug Wegovy with. Although Lilly's Zepbound beat Wegovy in a head-to-head clinical trial last year, Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B later received approval to use a higher dose of the drug than that used in the trial. Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B believes that a more reasonable comparison would be to refer to two different studies: one showing that high-dose Wegovy from Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B can help patients lose an average of 47 pounds; and another showing that Zepbound can help patients lose an average of 48 pounds. Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B also stated that there is misleading information in Lilly's advertising for their diabetes drug Mounjaro. The advertisement claims that Lilly's drug is superior to Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B's Ozempic in lowering blood sugar, based on a comparison with a lower dose of Ozempic, whereas the current market dose of Ozempic is different. Cookman stated that the Danish pharmaceutical company is requesting the court to order Lilly to immediately stop airing the related ads and to release "corrective ads". He mentioned, "They have spread misinformation and now need to clean it up." Cookman stated that this lawsuit was filed after Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B sent a cease and desist letter to Lilly in April. He said that Lilly did not respond to it but added a disclaimer in the ad, stating that the higher dose drug used during the research period was not yet on the market. The lawsuit has been submitted to the federal court in New Jersey, accusing Lilly of violating federal and state laws related to false advertising and unfair competition under the Lanham Act. Cookman stated that the company may also seek further remedies through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to industry research forecasts, the global obesity drug market is expected to reach $120 billion annually by 2030. The two pharmaceutical companies are currently engaged in intense competition for this huge market. While Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B was the first to enter the market with Wegovy, the American pharmaceutical giant Lilly caught up and took the lead with Zepbound, currently holding the advantage in sales. Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B has been accelerating efforts to regain market share, including partnering with telemedicine companies and launching a new oral weight loss drug that has been widely accepted by patients and in high demand in the market.