As demand for weight-loss treatments intensifies, Eli Lilly has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission against nearly a dozen online pharmacies that are allegedly selling unapproved versions of the Mounjaro diabetes drug, which is frequently used to combat obesity.
The drugmaker maintained the companies are marketing “low grade” versions of products purporting to contain tirzepatide, which is the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Mounjaro. But Lilly contended the products actually contain impurities and testing showed one company is selling “nothing more than sugar alcohol.”
“By suggesting that they and their products are equivalent to or associated with Lilly’s Mounjaro or have been evaluated for safety and efficacy, these statements are designed to divert sales away from Lilly’s authentic Mounjaro products and to exploit U.S. consumers seeking safe and effective therapeutics,” the complaint stated.