Novo Nordisk outspent Eli Lilly on US GLP-1 ads while losing prescription share

Novo Nordisk spent close to $500 million advertising its GLP-1 drugs Wegovy and Ozempic in the United States in the first nine months of 2025, more than double what Eli Lilly spent on its rival medicines Zepbound and Mounjaro in the same period, according to advertising tracking data from MediaRadar seen by Reuters ^[1][2]. The spending did not keep Novo ahead in prescriptions ^[1].

The data, which had not been previously reported, breaks down to an estimated $316 million for Wegovy and $169 million for Ozempic from January through September 2025 — up 54% and 44%, respectively, from the same months in 2024 ^[1].

Eli Lilly spent about $131 million advertising Zepbound in that period, up from $2 million in 2024, and $83 million promoting Mounjaro ^[1]. Combined, Novo spent about $487 million and Lilly an estimated $214 million ^[1]. Both companies declined to comment on their advertising budgets ^[1].

The increase followed a change in supply. Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound and Mounjaro were in shortage for much of 2024, and Novo halted its advertising during that period before ramping it up in 2025 as supply improved, according to David Moore, Novo's executive vice president of U.S. operations ^[1].

Lilly also had a clinical talking point. Data the company released in late 2024 showed patients taking Zepbound lost 47% more weight than those given Wegovy in a large head-to-head trial ^[1]. "When it comes to weight loss, Lilly has that edge with Zepbound, which is why, likely, Novo is looking to offset that with higher advertising investments," said Rajiv Leventhal, senior analyst for digital health at the market research firm Emarketer ^[1]. A Lilly spokesperson said the company is committed to providing information across multiple channels so consumers receive accurate, timely information about its drugs ^[1].

In the market itself, U.S. prescriptions for Zepbound overtook Wegovy in 2025, giving Lilly about 60% of the obesity drug market for the year, according to IQVIA data shared by a Wall Street analyst. IQVIA did not respond to a request for comment ^[1]. A separate report on the same figures said Zepbound prescriptions surpassed Wegovy and that Lilly held 60% of the obesity medicine market ^[2].

The United States is one of the few countries that allows direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines, a system that has been criticized as driving up already high U.S. medical costs ^[1]. For scale, AbbVie spent more than $850 million advertising its arthritis drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq in the first nine months of 2025; AbbVie declined to comment ^[1]. President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have tried to discourage drugmaker advertising through new disclosure rules ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

Advertising reaches patients directly, but it does not decide what a health plan will pay for. Insurance coverage for these drugs in the U.S. is uneven, which leads many people to pay out of pocket ^[1]. Rae McMahan, senior vice president of payer solutions at Prescryptive, which helps patients find the lowest prices for drugs at pharmacies, said advertising has limits in guiding treatment decisions: "It's still a conversation that needs to be between the patient and their physician" ^[1].

Novo and Lilly have also had to compete with telehealth companies selling compounded copies of their drugs. Those sellers could operate freely while the branded versions were in short supply; they have since shifted to offering personalized doses that differ from the branded products in dose size and schedule ^[1].

What happens next

Novo has launched a new pill version of Wegovy; Reuters reported it recorded 18,410 prescriptions in its first full week ^[1]. Moore said the company plans to advertise the pill immediately and to push sales through its cash-pay, direct-to-consumer channels ^[1]. How much Novo plans to spend advertising the pill has not been reported ^[1].

The effect of the federal disclosure push on future ad spending has not been disclosed ^[1].