Lilly sues two med spas over products marketed as tirzepatide
The lawsuits continue Lilly's push against compounded products marketed as tirzepatide, which patients may see sold at med spas and online with claims the drugmaker says are unproven.
Eli Lilly said it has sued two medical spas for selling unapproved products that they claim contain tirzepatide, the active ingredient in its weight-loss medicine Zepbound [1]. The lawsuits, announced Jan. 13, name Thrive Health and Wellness LLC and Valhalla Vitality LLC [1].
Lilly said the companies were selling unapproved drugs and making false claims about efficacy, purity or safety [1]. The complaint against Thrive was filed in the U.S. District Court of Colorado, and the complaint against Valhalla was filed in the Eastern District of New York [1]. Both companies sell products they say contain tirzepatide, according to the filings [1]. Neither company immediately responded to requests for comment [1].
Lilly said Thrive designed its website and advertising materials to communicate that its compounded drug, "MEGALean - Premium Tirzepatide Injections," is clinically tested to help with weight loss and improve blood sugar levels [1]. The drugmaker said Valhalla's website and advertising materials imply that its compounded version of tirzepatide has been proven safe and effective for weight loss [1].
Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in Zepbound, which Lilly describes as its popular weight-loss medicine, and it is also approved to treat type 2 diabetes under the brand name Mounjaro [1]. Lilly, based in Indianapolis, has already sued more than two dozen medical spas, wellness centers and compounding pharmacies for selling products claiming to contain tirzepatide [1].
Compounding facilities create medicines by combining, mixing or altering drug ingredients [1]. Federal regulations allow compounded versions to be sold to meet demand if a drug is in short supply [1].
The lawsuits do not say whether the products sold by Thrive or Valhalla actually contained tirzepatide, or what Lilly is seeking in the cases. Those details have not been reported [1].
Why it matters for patients
People looking for GLP-1 medications may encounter products marketed as tirzepatide at med spas, wellness clinics and online sellers. Lilly's lawsuits target the marketing claims attached to those products, not just the ingredients: the company says the two businesses presented their compounded versions as clinically tested, proven safe or proven effective [1].
That matters because a compounded product is not the same as the brand-name drug, even when it is described with the same molecule name. The filings say the products at issue are unapproved drugs, according to Lilly [1]. Patients who are comparing options can ask who makes a product, what it contains and what regulatory review it has been through; the lawsuits themselves do not establish what any of these products contained.
These cases are part of a broader pattern. Lilly has filed lawsuits against more than two dozen businesses over products claiming to contain tirzepatide [1], so the questions raised here about labeling, sourcing and advertised benefits are not limited to the two companies named on Jan. 13.
What happens next
The two complaints are now in federal courts in Colorado and the Eastern District of New York [1]. No hearing dates, rulings or trial schedules have been reported [1]. Thrive Health and Wellness and Valhalla Vitality did not immediately respond to requests for comment [1], and it is not yet known whether they have legal representation or how they will respond to the claims.
Sources
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