Novo, Lilly clash in $700M ad war

In the first nine months of 2025, Novo Nordisk allocated nearly $500 million to U.S. advertising for its GLP-1 drugs, Wegovy and Ozempic. This expenditure, totaling an estimated $487 million, significantly outpaced Eli Lilly's $214 million spent on its competing medications, Zepbound and Mounjaro. Novo's spending included $316 million for Wegovy and $169 million for Ozempic, marking substantial increases from the previous year.

This aggressive advertising strategy by Novo Nordisk reflects an increase in supply for these sought-after medications, which were in shortage for much of 2024. Following the resolution of supply chain issues, Novo ramped up its advertising efforts. The competition is particularly fierce as Eli Lilly's Zepbound demonstrated superior weight loss in a recent trial, prompting Novo to boost its marketing investment.

Eli Lilly spent approximately $131 million on Zepbound ads and $83 million on Mounjaro ads during the specified period. The U.S. market is unique in allowing direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs, a practice that has drawn criticism for potentially inflating healthcare costs. Novo plans to immediately advertise the pill version of Wegovy through direct-to-consumer channels, given the uneven insurance coverage for these treatments.

As of late 2024, Zepbound prescriptions had surpassed Wegovy's, giving Eli Lilly about 60% of the obesity drug market for 2025. Both companies are also contending with telehealth providers selling compounded versions of their drugs. Experts emphasize that treatment decisions for these GLP-1 drugs should remain a conversation between patients and their physicians.