Overview
- Novo Nordisk filed a motion for a preliminary injunction Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey seeking an immediate stop to Eli Lilly’s national ads for Zepbound and Mounjaro.
- The lawsuit alleges Lilly’s commercials use head‑to‑head trial figures for Lilly’s highest doses while omitting Novo’s newer higher‑dose Wegovy and Ozempic formulations, which Novo says makes the comparisons misleading.
- Lilly disputes the claim and says its ads reflect results from its randomized SURMOUNT‑5 head‑to‑head trial that directly compared tirzepatide and semaglutide, and the company says it will vigorously defend the marketing.
- Novo asks the court not only for a temporary halt but for permanent withdrawal of the campaigns, corrective advertising and damages if the ads are found false or misleading.
- The case touches a fast‑growing GLP‑1 market worth tens of billions of dollars, and Novo says heavy ad reach — including a revised Zepbound commercial it says drew more than 700 million impressions — heightens the commercial and patient‑information stakes while the court reviews the evidence.