Eli Lilly's campaign seeks to resolve weight-loss drug misconceptions
Eli Lilly is launching a campaign aimed at informing consumers about the seriousness of diabetes as a disease and the appropriate use of its weight-loss-related drugs.
Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company is trying to clear up misconceptions about obesity care as it increases investment in its highly popular weight-loss drugs.
With the latest phase of Lilly's "Get Better" campaign, the company aims to focus the importance of obesity treatment as a disease, and the appropriate use of anti-obesity medications. These drugs have surged in popularity in recent years, due in part to social media and countless celebrities, such as Elon Musk having touted their weight-loss effects. For a while, the rush caused availability issues and hindered access for those who needed them for medical purposes.
Lilly's Zepbound and Mounjaro are among the drugs that consumers have been in a frenzy to get.
In November, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Lilly's drug tirzepatide for the treatment of obesity. The approval came more than a year after the drug had been approved for people with type 2 diabetes and sold under the brand name Mounjaro.
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As part of the campaign, Lilly will air two films – "Shame" and "Big Night." The film "Shame" was created to increase the dialogue about the seriousness of obesity and to "reinforce that there is no place for shame in the conversation around it," according to Lilly.
Meanwhile, the company's film "Big Night", whose debut overlaps with awards season, focuses on the use of the cultural dialogue surrounding the anti-obesity medications and the use of them outside their FDA-approved uses.
"Patient safety is Lilly's top priority, and our medicines are indicated for the treatment of serious diseases," the company said. "They were not studied for, are not approved for, and should not be used for cosmetic weight loss."
Countless medical professionals have repeatedly stressed that these drugs, including Novo's semaglutide, which is sold under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic, are good medications for people who need them and shouldn't be used as a way to shed just a few pounds.
Wegovy was approved by the FDA for chronic weight management in 2021, while Ozempic was approved about seven years ago for those with Type 2 diabetes with weight loss as a side effect.
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The campaign comes after medical experts expressed concern over Lilly's latest effort to make it even easier for patients to gain access to in-demand weight loss drugs through telehealth.
The pharmaceutical giant launched a website called LillyDirect so patients in the U.S. suffering from obesity, diabetes or migraines can work with independent health care providers and get direct home delivery of select Lilly medicines through third-party pharmacy dispensing services to manage their disease.
Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks told the New York Times that "when we talk to patients who are seeking these treatments for obesity, whether it be ours or our competitors,’ a lot of people are having a hard time."
The American College of Physicians (ACP) said in a statement that it was "concerned by the development of websites that enable patients to order prescription medications directly from the drugmaker."
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WeightWatchers, in a bid to turn around its business, also launched a new program that targets consumers who use weight-loss-related medications. Meanwhile, telehealth company Ro started pushing a new marketing campaign last year aimed at destigmatizing obesity care.
The company plastered ads for its Body Program, which offers patients access to highly sought-after obesity treatments such as Ozempic and Wegovy, throughout New York City's subway system.
FOX Business' Bre Stimson contributed to this report.