Judge Rejects Novo Bid to Halt Lilly Ads

A federal judge in New Jersey denied Novo Nordisk’s request to temporarily stop Eli Lilly from running advertisements for its weight-loss and diabetes drugs, finding Novo had not shown irreparable harm or sufficient damage to its sales or reputation. Novo sued in July, alleging Lilly’s ads unfairly compared higher doses of Zepbound and Mounjaro with lower doses of Wegovy and Ozempic; one ad cited average weight losses of 50 pounds for Zepbound and 33 pounds for Wegovy. The ruling does not decide whether the advertisements are false or misleading, and Novo’s lawsuit will continue. Lilly welcomed the decision, while Novo said consumers deserve accurate information about health choices.