Exclusive-Novo's Wegovy and Ozempic US advertising spend doubles rival Eli Lilly, data shows

By Harshita Mary Varghese and Patrick Wingrove

Jan 28 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk spent astir $500 cardinal connected U.S. advertizing for its GLP-1 drugs Wegovy and Ozempic successful the archetypal 9 months of 2025, much than treble what Eli Lilly shelled retired for its ​rival medicines, arsenic the Danish drugmaker fought for marketplace share, information seen by Reuters shows.

The information from advertizing tracking steadfast MediaRadar, ‌which has not been antecedently reported, shows Novo spent an estimated $316 cardinal advertizing its weight-loss cause Wegovy successful the U.S. and $169 cardinal connected diabetes medicine Ozempic from January done September past ‌year. That's up 54% and 44%, respectively from the aforesaid play successful 2024.

Indianapolis-based marketplace person Eli Lilly spent astir $131 cardinal advertizing obesity attraction Zepbound successful the aforesaid play versus $2 cardinal successful 2024. It spent $83 cardinal promoting diabetes medicine Mounjaro.

Combined, Novo spent astir $487 cardinal and Lilly an estimated $214 cardinal connected U.S. ads for these drugs. The companies declined to remark connected their advertizing budgets.

It is not known however overmuch Novo plans to walk connected advertizing its caller pill ⁠version of Wegovy.

David Moore, Novo's enforcement vice president of ‌U.S. operations, said the institution plans to advertise the pill instantly and propulsion income done its cash-pay, direct-to-consumer channels.

Insurance sum successful the U.S. is uneven for these drugs, prompting galore radical to wage out‑of‑pocket for them.

The U.S. is antithetic successful allowing direct‑to‑consumer advertizing of medicine medicines, a strategy that has been criticized arsenic driving up already precocious U.S. aesculapian costs.

AbbVie, for example, spent much than $850 cardinal successful advertizing for arthritis drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq successful the archetypal 9 months of 2025. AbbVie declined to comment.

U.S. President Donald Trump and ​Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. person tried to discourage drugmaker advertizing with caller disclosure rules.

Last year's advertizing blitz reflects a displacement successful ‌availability for the medicines that were successful shortage for overmuch of 2024, with the companies incapable to conscionable unprecedented demand.

During the shortage, Novo halted its ads and past ramped them up successful 2025 arsenic proviso increased, Moore said.

Also, information released by Lilly successful precocious 2024 showed patients taking Zepbound mislaid 47% much value than those who were fixed Wegovy successful a large, head-to-head trial.

"When it comes to value loss, Lilly has that borderline with Zepbound, which is why, likely, Novo is looking to offset that with higher advertizing investments," Rajiv Leventhal, elder expert for integer wellness astatine marketplace probe ⁠firm Emarketer.