NEW YORK (Reuters) – On Monday (October 26, 2026), a U.S. federal court rejected a motion by the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk to temporarily halt advertisements by its rival, Eli Lilly. Novo Nordisk had accused Eli Lilly of making false and misleading claims about its weight-loss drugs in its advertisements.
Background of the Dispute
Novo Nordisk filed the lawsuit in July 2026. The dispute centered on a TV and online advertising campaign for Eli Lilly’s drug Zepbound. In the campaign, Lilly claimed, among other things, that patients taking Zepbound lose an average of 50 pounds (approx. 23 kg), while patients taking Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy lose an average of only 33 pounds (approx. 15 kg).
Novo Nordisk argued in court that Eli Lilly had used outdated studies for this claim and ignored more recent data—in particular, results regarding the higher-dose 7.2-mg version of Wegovy, with which weight loss is comparably high.
The Court’s Decision
The judge denied the injunction and ruled that Eli Lilly may continue to run the advertisements while the case is pending. The court explained that Novo Nordisk had failed to sufficiently demonstrate that the allegations would lead to unfair deception or that the company would suffer irreparable harm while the main trial is ongoing.
Reactions from the Companies
Eli Lilly welcomed the decision and emphasized that its scientific claims are unassailable and that the advertising statements are truthful.
Novo Nordisk did not comment immediately after the ruling was announced, but continues to seek damages in the main trial, as well as the surrender of profits that Eli Lilly is alleged to have earned through the advertising campaign.