April 23 (UPI) — Eli Lilly Wednesday filed lawsuits against four telehealth companies alleging they are deceiving consumers by selling compounds of slightly-different versions of Lilly drugs.
Lilly is suing Mochi Health, Henry Meds, Willow Health and Fella Health, claiming they are illegally selling compounded versions of tirzepatide.
Lilly’s suits argue that the knock-off tirzepatide compounds are not really personalized since they are mass-produced and prescribed to many patients.
Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in Lilly weight-loss drug Zepbound and the diabetes drug Mounjaro.
The suits claim the companies are allegedly deceiving customers and turning consumers away from the Lilly-branded medicines.
The compounding of Mounjaro happened in 2022 when a shortage of the drug allowed pharmacies and other facilities to produce compounds of the pharmaceutical.
Lilly brought in $16.4 billion in revenue last year from Zepbound and Mounjaro.
The sued companies did not immediately respond directly to the lawsuits, but Mochi Health told Wired in a general statement that compounded medications are customized by Mochi for “medical necessity.”
“Their use remains appropriate and legal when tailored to individual patient needs and prescribed by a licensed medical provider-not as mass-market substitutes for branded medications,” Mochi’s statement said.
Mochi Health CEO Myra Ahmad told CNBC in March it planned to keep selling compounded versions of tirzepatide.
Lilly’s suits against the telehealth companies seeks to prevent them from selling or marketing their versions of tirzepatide.
Lilly alleged the companies are mass-marketing slightly different versions of Lilly drugs to get around Food and Drug Administration rules.
The suits filed Wednesday are the latest in an ongoing battle Lilly is waging against the compounding of its pharmaceuticals.
In a September 2023 statement referencing its lawsuits against compounders, Lilly said it “filed this lawsuit to protect patients.
“Lilly cannot validate the safety or effectiveness of products claiming to contain tirzepatide that are not our own branded product,” it said.
Before Wednesday’s lawsuits, Lilly had sued over a dozen pharmacies, medical spas and wellness centers for selling compounds of tirzepatide.