Federal judge denies Novo's attempt to block Eli Lilly obesity drug ads

A federal judge in the U.S. District Court denied Novo Nordisk's request to halt an Eli Lilly advertising campaign that compared the two companies' obesity treatments, Wegovy and Zepbound.

Novo argued the ads relied on outdated studies and compared higher doses of Lilly’s drugs to lower doses of Novo’s products, claiming the campaign caused irreparable harm to its sales.

Judge Zahid Quraishi found Novo had not shown that Wegovy prescriptions fell when the ads aired and noted the commercials acknowledged the newer higher‑dose Wegovy formulation, leading to the dismissal of the injunction request.

The ruling does not resolve whether Lilly’s ads are misleading, and the legal battle continues as both firms compete for a market projected to exceed $100 billion by 2030.