The pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly issued a warning against the misuse of its increasingly popular weight loss drugs, saying they should only be used by patients diagnosed with obesity or diabetes.
“Lilly is committed to meeting the needs of people affected by diabetes and obesity with treatment options that change the way healthcare providers can treat these diseases and offer breakthroughs for patients,” a press statement published Thursday said. “Mounjaro and Zepbound are indicated for the treatment of serious diseases; they are not approved for — and should not be used for — cosmetic weight loss.”
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Mounjaro and Zepbound, brand names of the chemical tirzepatide, are approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat Type II diabetes and obesity, respectively. Zepbound only received FDA approval in early November.
These new medications, including the similar products Ozempic and Wegovy made by Novo Nordisk, gained significant attention in 2023 as new data demonstrated both their weight loss and cardiovascular benefits, dramatically increasing demand.
Social media influencers have also spurred spikes in demand by touting the dramatic weight loss results of the medication. The TikTok trend of #ozempic blossomed in September 2022, with celebrities such as Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian sharing their personal use of Ozempic as a weight loss drug.
Fourth-quarter earnings reports for 2023 are not yet available for either Eli Lilly or Novo Nordisk, but Ozempic and Wegovy made the Danish pharmaceutical giant record-breaking profits in the second and third quarters. Lilly attributed much of its third-quarter revenue to sales of Mounjaro.
Lilly’s warning also strongly advises against the use of tirzepatide compounds, which are pharmaceutical products mixed by pharmacists rather than purchased directly from the manufacturer. Although this process is often used when a patient has an allergy to an ingredient in any medication, the short supply of the popular obesity and diabetes drugs sparked in part by social media hype has incentivized the unauthorized production of the chemical compounds.
In late December, the FDA announced that the agency was investigating “counterfeit Ozempic,” or compounded versions of the chemical semaglutide. At the time, the FDA recommended that retail pharmacies only purchase authentic Ozempic through authorized Novo Nordisk distributors. The agency also advised that consumers not purchase medication directly from online sellers.
The FDA did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment as to whether it is expanding their investigation into counterfeit production of Lilly’s products.
“Patient safety is Lilly’s top priority,” the press statement said, “and we actively engage in monitoring, evaluating, and reporting safety information for all our medicines. We are aware of certain practices relating to our tirzepatide medicines that we wish to address publicly to ensure that our medicines are prescribed and used safely.”
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A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk told the Washington Examiner that their company is “committed to the responsible use” of their medications, especially Ozempic and Wegovy.
“The products are not interchangeable and should not be used outside of their approved indications,” the spokesperson said.
