Novo Nordisk's US GLP-1 ad spend reported at nearly $500 million for nine months

Novo Nordisk spent close to $500 million advertising its GLP-1 drugs Wegovy and Ozempic in the United States during the first nine months of 2025, more than double what rival Eli Lilly spent promoting its competing medicines, according to data from advertising tracking firm MediaRadar reported by Reuters ^[1].

The figures show Novo spent an estimated $316 million marketing Wegovy, its weight-loss drug, and $169 million on Ozempic, its diabetes medicine, from January through September 2025 ^[1]. That is up 54% for Wegovy and 44% for Ozempic compared with the same period in 2024 ^[1]. Combined, Novo's spending on the two drugs totaled about $487 million ^[1].

Eli Lilly spent far less by comparison. The company spent about $131 million advertising its obesity drug Zepbound, a sharp jump from just $2 million in the same period the year before, and $83 million promoting its diabetes drug Mounjaro ^[1]. Lilly's combined total came to roughly $214 million ^[1]. Both companies declined to comment on their advertising budgets ^[1].

The surge in ad spending follows a period when both drugs were in short supply for much of 2024, and companies could not meet demand ^[1]. Novo halted its ads during the shortage and ramped them back up in 2025 as supply increased, according to David Moore, Novo's executive vice president of U.S. operations ^[1]. He said Novo plans to advertise its new pill version of Wegovy immediately and push sales through cash-pay, direct-to-consumer channels, though it is not yet known how much the company plans to spend on that campaign ^[1].

One factor behind Novo's heavier spending may be a head-to-head trial. Data Lilly released in late 2024 showed patients taking Zepbound lost 47% more weight than those taking Wegovy ^[1]. Rajiv Leventhal, a senior analyst at Emarketer, said Lilly's edge in weight loss results is likely part of why Novo is investing more in advertising to offset it ^[1]. Separately, IQVIA data shared with a Wall Street analyst indicated U.S. prescriptions for Zepbound overtook Wegovy last year, giving Lilly about 60% of the obesity drug market for 2025 ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

The United States is one of the few countries that allows direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs, a practice critics say drives up already high medical costs ^[1]. For patients, that means the ads they see for Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound and Mounjaro are part of a competitive marketing push rather than neutral medical guidance. Insurance coverage for these drugs remains uneven in the U.S., which has pushed many people to pay out of pocket ^[1].

Rae McMahan, senior vice president of payer solutions at Prescryptive, a company that helps patients find the lowest drug prices, said advertising has limits in guiding treatment decisions. "It's still a conversation that needs to be between the patient and their physician," she said ^[1]. Government officials have also taken notice: President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have pushed new disclosure rules aimed at discouraging drugmaker advertising ^[1].

The comparison with other heavily advertised drug categories offers some context. AbbVie spent more than $850 million advertising its arthritis drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq over the same nine-month period, more than either GLP-1 maker spent on its products ^[1].

What happens next

It is not yet known how much Novo will spend advertising its new Wegovy pill, which the company says it plans to promote immediately through cash-pay and direct-to-consumer channels ^[1]. Novo and Lilly also continue to face competition from telehealth companies selling compounded versions of these drugs with doses and regimens that differ from the branded products ^[1].