Yahoo Finance·2026-01-28 11:06Advertising Expenditure - Novo Nordisk spent nearly $500 million on U.S. advertising for its GLP-1 drugs Wegovy and Ozempic in the first nine months of 2025, more than double Eli Lilly's expenditure on its rival medicines [1] - Novo spent an estimated $316 million on Wegovy and $169 million on Ozempic, reflecting increases of 54% and 44% respectively from the same period in 2024 [2] - Eli Lilly spent about $131 million on Zepbound and $83 million on Mounjaro during the same period, totaling approximately $214 million in advertising [3] Market Dynamics - The U.S. allows direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines, which has been criticized for contributing to high medical costs [5] - A shift in availability for these medicines occurred in 2025 after a shortage in 2024, prompting Novo to increase advertising as supply improved [6] - Eli Lilly's Zepbound demonstrated a 47% greater weight loss compared to Wegovy in a head-to-head trial, which may explain Novo's increased advertising efforts to compete [7] Strategic Focus - Novo plans to advertise a new pill version of Wegovy immediately and utilize cash-pay, direct-to-consumer channels to boost sales [4]