Novo’s Wegovy and Ozempic US advertising spend doubles rival Eli Lilly, data shows

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 what Eli Lilly shelled out for its rival medicines, as the Danish drugmaker fought for market share, data seen by Reuters shows.
The data from advertising tracking firm MediaRadar, which has not been previously reported, shows Novo spent an estimated $316 million advertising its weight-loss drug Wegovy in the U.S. and $169 million on diabetes medication Ozempic from January through September last year. That’s up 54% and 44%, respectively from the same period in 2024.
Indianapolis-based market leader Eli Lilly spent about $131 million advertising obesity treatment Zepbound in the same period versus $2 million in 2024. It spent $83 million promoting diabetes medicine Mounjaro.
Combined, Novo spent about $487 million and Lilly an estimated $214 million on U.S. ads for these drugs. The companies declined to comment on their advertising budgets.
It is not known how much Novo plans to spend on advertising its new pill version of Wegovy.
David Moore, Novo’s executive vice president of U.S. operations, said the company plans to advertise the pill immediately and push sales through its cash-pay, direct-to-consumer channels.
Insurance coverage in the U.S. is uneven for these drugs, prompting many people to pay out of pocket for them.