Eli Lilly (LLY) Is Suing Six Companies Over an Unapproved Drug—Leaving Novo Nordisk (NVO) Clear in the GLP-1 Wars

Fatima Gulzar

Mon, August 24, 2026 at 10:04 PM GMT+3 3 min read

On August 12, 2026, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) said that it filed six lawsuits against US companies it accuses of illegally selling black-market versions of retatrutide. It is an experimental obesity drug still in Phase 3 trials and not yet approved by regulators anywhere.

Why This Matters

Lilly is trying to shut down a black market for a drug it hasn't even brought to market yet, which says as much about demand for weight-loss treatments as it does about the legal risk facing unauthorized sellers.

That raises the real question: is this a genuine safety crackdown or an early move by Lilly to protect the commercial value of a drug still years from approval?

Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) Is Suing Six Companies Over a Drug That Isn't Even Approved Yet—Leaving Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) Clear in the GLP-1 Wars

The Bull and Bear Case: Eli Lilly

The lawsuits target six businesses, including compounding pharmacies, medical spas, and online sellers. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) said it has referred more than 200 individuals and entities to the FDA, the Justice Department, state attorneys general, and law enforcement. Lilly Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Hyman said what's being sold on the black market "is entirely unverified, unapproved and not worth the risk." US Customs and Border Protection told Reuters it intercepted more than 690 shipments of illicit GLP-1 drugs in fiscal 2025, and that pace has since accelerated sharply, with more than 1,400 seizures in July 2026 alone. In trials, retatrutide helped overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes lose nearly 13% of their body weight after 80 weeks. Lilly plans to submit it for US approval as a biologic in the first quarter of 2027.

The scale of the black market itself is a problem Lilly didn't create but now has to manage, since demand for unapproved GLP-1 products already has customers turning to unregulated online sellers before Lilly's own drug even launches. Retatrutide remains unapproved everywhere. So, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)'s litigation campaign is running years ahead of any actual product revenue from the drug.

The Bull and Bear Case: Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) has largely avoided a similar black-market enforcement fight related to its own pipeline, giving it a cleaner narrative around its currently approved Wegovy franchise while Lilly manages this legal campaign in parallel with its approved drug lineup.

Lilly's aggressive enforcement posture, on top of its stronger recent stock performance, reinforces the broader narrative that Lilly is the more assertive competitor across every front of the GLP-1 rivalry, ie., from clinical trial results to legal strategy.

Insider Monkey's Hedge Fund Data

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) was held by 132 hedge funds as of Q1 2026, down from 137. Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) held steady at 55 holders.

Conclusion

Lilly is fighting to control the market for a drug that doesn't officially exist yet. It is a sign of just how much commercial value it expects retatrutide to carry once it finally does.

Overall, hedge funds favor Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) over Novo Nordisk.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.