Novo Nordisk — the pharmaceutical giant behind Ozempic and Wegovy — filed a lawsuit against its top rival, Eli Lilly, on Tuesday, accusing Lilly of using outdated trial data to claim that its drugs are superior.
Lilly’s weight loss shot, Zepbound, did in fact beat Novo’s Wegovy in a head-to-head trial last year. But Novo has since gotten approval for a higher dose that has been shown to shed more pounds and has not yet been directly compared to Lilly’s competing product.
According to Novo, it asked Lilly to take down the ads in April, more than a month after its higher dose shot got approved in the US. Lilly did not respond to those requests, Novo said.
“As new and more effective treatment options become available, people deserve accurate information that reflects the latest scientific evidence and helps them make informed care decisions,” Novo’s top lawyer, John F. Kuckelman said in a statement.
It’s not the first time Novo has used the courts to win back market share: Earlier this year, the company sued Hims & Hers for selling a dupe of its Wegovy pill. Hims eventually took down the pill from its offerings and partnered with Novo to distribute the pharma giant’s branded products.