Eli Lilly Sues 4 GLP-1 Telehealth Startups, Escalating War on Knockoff Drugs

On Wednesday, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly sued four prominent telehealth companies that offer more affordable, off-brand versions of its patented best-selling GLP-1 medications Mounjaro and Zepbound. Together, the drugs accounted for over $16.4 billion in revenue for the company last year. It’s the latest escalation in an ongoing war between the drug industry and health care providers over what are widely seen as the most effective—and lucrative—drugs for treating obesity and diabetes to come on the market in years. The lawsuits target four telehealth brands, Mochi Health, Fella & Delilah Health, Willow Health, and Henry Meds. Eli Lilly alleges that each company is selling illegal knockoffs of its drugs, in some cases, with untested added ingredients like vitamins and amino acids in an attempt to distinguish them from its name-brand medications. None of the companies named as defendants immediately responded to requests for comment from WIRED about the lawsuits. In response to gen ... Read full article.