The Danish pharmaceutical giant is firing on multiple fronts \u2014 in the courtroom, on the pricing front, and across emerging markets \u2014 as it fights to defend its dominant position in the $100 billion-plus GLP-1 market. Novo Nordisk has filed a federal lawsuit against Eli Lilly, accusing its biggest rival of running television advertisements that rely on \u201cknowingly outdated\u201d clinical data to make Zepbound appear superior to Wegovy. The complaint, lodged on July 21, alleges that Lilly\u2019s commercials compare low Wegovy doses with the highest approved Zepbound dose, a tactic Novo Nordisk argues is fundamentally misleading. The company is seeking a permanent injunction against the ads plus unspecified damages. Lilly has pushed back, vowing to contest the claims.<\/p>\n
The legal offensive does not stop there. Novo Nordisk also sued Hims & Hers in February over what it describes as unauthorized compounded versions of its semaglutide drugs, pointing to FDA concerns about purity and dosing accuracy. Hims & Hers shares tumbled roughly 16 percent when the suit became public. In South Africa, a court has already barred the supplier iDexis from manufacturing compounded semaglutide, and the country\u2019s health regulator SAHPRA ordered a recall of those products.<\/p>\n
Yet Novo Nordisk is simultaneously expanding access to its own branded medicine through an unconventional channel. Starting this week, the company is rolling out a cheaper authorized copy of Ozempic in South Africa in partnership with Acino. Unlike a generic, this version is manufactured by Novo Nordisk itself \u2014 identical active ingredient, same production process, and the same injection device, just sold under a different name. The move is designed to capture price-sensitive patients in emerging markets without undermining the premium brand elsewhere.<\/p>\n