Eli Lilly Sues Vendors Over Tirzepatide Products

By Patrick Wingrove

(Reuters) – Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) announced on Monday that it has filed lawsuits against three medical spas and online vendors for selling products that claim to contain tirzepatide, the active ingredient in its popular weight-loss drug, Zepbound. This includes offerings in the form of dissolvable tablets.

The lawsuits, targeting Pivotal Peptides, MangoRx, and Genesis Lifestyle Medicine of Nevada, mark the first actions related to copycat tirzepatide products since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed the drug from its list of medications in short supply earlier this month.

Lilly clarified that these lawsuits were independent of the FDA’s decision and could have been initiated regardless of any supply issues.

Pivotal Peptides claims to sell research-grade tirzepatide, while MangoRx provides a compounded version online. Genesis Lifestyle Medicine is accused of selling and administering compounded versions of the drug.

Lilly alleges that Pivotal Peptides sold products claiming to contain tirzepatide directly to consumers without prescriptions, despite advertising them for research purposes. The lawsuits were filed in federal and state courts in Indiana, Texas, and Washington, with accusations of false advertising and promotion.

A spokesperson for Lilly stated, "Lilly is bringing these actions to protect American consumers from direct patient safety risks," highlighting concerns over false efficacy claims and misleading clinical data. Lilly has previously sued over two dozen medical spas, wellness centers, and compounding pharmacies for similar offenses.

The recent filings assert that MangoRx sold an oral version branded as Trim, despite the absence of studies proving its safety and effectiveness, as the FDA has only approved tirzepatide as an injectable drug.

After receiving a cease and desist letter from Lilly, Pivotal Peptides reportedly altered its website to indicate maintenance and changed its selling methods to email, social media, and word-of-mouth.

Genesis has been accused of promoting a compounded form of tirzepatide with vitamin B12, which Lilly claims is untested and poses significant consumer risks.

Eli Lilly seeks court orders to prevent the vendors from selling products that claim to contain tirzepatide and is pursuing unspecified monetary damages.