France fines Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly over obesity drug promotions
The penalties target marketing, not the medicines, and focus on whether the campaigns pushed the drugs toward people who may not be candidates for them.
France's medicines regulator fined Novo Nordisk roughly $2 million and Eli Lilly about $127,000 over advertising campaigns for obesity medicines, saying the promotions amounted to indirect advertising for prescription drugs [1][2]. The regulator also described Novo's advertisements for Wegovy and Saxenda as "misleading" [1].
The decisions from the Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament et des Produits de Santé (ANSM) are dated April 29, 2026 [1][2]. Novo's penalties were split in two: €783,838.20 ($919,688) tied to campaigns for Wegovy, its semaglutide obesity drug, and a separate €1 million ($1.17 million) tied to promotions for Saxenda, its older injectable obesity medicine [2]. Lilly was fined €108,766 ($127,591) over a campaign connected to Mounjaro, its tirzepatide drug, which is also sold in the United States as Zepbound for obesity [1][2].
What the regulator objected to
In Europe, companies are not allowed to market prescription drugs directly to patients, but they can run campaigns that raise awareness of the diseases those drugs treat [2]. The ANSM concluded both companies crossed that line [2].
For Novo, the regulator pointed to several campaigns in France and online during 2025 [2]. One, in Paris just before the summer, carried the line "I've decided to act for myself & for my health," which the ANSM said was highlighted with an image of overweight people "smiling again at the idea of 'taking action.'" [2] In October, the company posted on social media: "More effort, less result? Menopause changes the game. Your gynaecologist can support you," next to an image of a woman entering menopause [2]. A video used the taglines "Changing your perspective is already progress" and "Obesity? Overweight? Visit audeladupoids.fr," featuring a woman in her forties who was overweight explaining how she decided to act, including by discussing the issue with her doctor [2].
The ANSM said the messages presented medication as the response to obesity without enough emphasis on other approaches such as diet and exercise, and did not clearly define who the medicines are intended for [2]. In France, Wegovy is prescribed as a second-line treatment for obesity, not for people with a lower body mass index or those who simply "have kilos to lose," the regulator said [2].
Lilly's campaign ran last year just before the summer, with posters in six major French cities, including in the metro, in the press and on social media, according to the regulator [2]. Lilly described the campaign as titled "Obesity is a sick person's problem," according to comments reported by Le Monde [2]. The ANSM said the campaign focused solely on medicines for obesity without naming them, which "tends to encourage the general public, regardless of their weight and body mass index (BMI), to use the products in the Mounjaro range" [2].
The regulator said Novo's messages came "within a broader context of misuse of the GLP-1 analog class," which has received significant media attention and numerous communications from health authorities [2]. Two years earlier, the ANSM issued a bulletin on risks associated with the drugs, especially inappropriate use [1].
Why it matters for patients
The fines concern advertising, not the safety or approval of the medicines themselves, and they do not change how Wegovy, Saxenda or Mounjaro are prescribed [1][2]. The regulator's stated concern is that promotion can lead members of the public to seek out prescription options regardless of their weight or BMI [2].
That concern centers on who the drugs are cleared for. In France, Wegovy is a second-line obesity treatment and is not intended for people with a lower BMI [2]. The ANSM said the campaigns did not make those boundaries clear [2].
These penalties were issued in France and apply to French promotions. Whether US regulators will take similar action over GLP-1 marketing has not been reported.
Separately, Novo has been rebranding its semaglutide line in the US, retiring the Rybelsus name in favor of "Ozempic pill" and renaming its Ozempic injectable "Ozempic injection," with "Wegovy pill" and "Wegovy injection" for its obesity franchise [2]. Lilly has launched Foundayo, based on orforglipron, in the US [2].
What happens next
The ANSM's decisions are dated April 29, 2026 [1][2], and were reported on May 4 by STAT and on May 6 by FiercePharma [1][2]. Whether Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly will appeal has not been reported, and payment deadlines have not been disclosed.
Sources
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