Eli Lilly files website blocking order over fake weight loss medicines

Eli Lilly has applied to the High Court of England and Wales for a blocking order against websites that sell counterfeit or unlicensed versions of its weight loss medicines.

The pharmaceutical company, which makes GLP-1 jab Mounjaro and its oral version Foundayo, told C+D it is “taking action” to block the “black-market websites”.

“What is being sold on these websites is not a medicine – it is entirely unverified, unauthorised and not worth the risk,” it said.

“We will continue working to protect patients and stamp out this illegal market.”

If the injunction application is granted, it will force the UK’s six main internet service providers (ISPs) – BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky UK, TalkTalk and Virgin Media – to block access to websites meeting criteria that indicates they sell counterfeit or unlicensed Eli Lilly medicines.

Eli Lilly confirmed that this is the first time it has applied to the High Court for this type of blocking order, but did not share which websites, or how many, it has asked to block.

It comes after Novo Nordisk was granted a website blocking order in the UK involving the same six ISPs across two applications in October 2025 and June 2026.

Protecting trademarks

Eli Lilly’s application to the High Court of Justice on November 5 called on the court to prevent “acts of trademark infringement, passing off and contraventions of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012” by the offending websites.

It said the websites are using the ISPs’ services to infringe on Eli Lilly’s UK registered trademarks, such as its company name – including just “Lilly” – and those of its products Foundayo, KwikPen and Mounjaro.

It noted that a hearing “may be required” because of the “potentially novel issues relative to previous website blocking applications in this area”.

But the company said five of the ISPs have “already indicated that they do not oppose the order sought”, and it has “not received any indication” that the order will be opposed by the remaining ISP.

In the draft order seen by C+D, Eli Lilly said it is not alleging that the ISPs have committed any copyright infringement.

It said Eli Lilly is responsible for “accurately identifying the IP addresses and URLs which should be blocked” and the ISPs have “no obligation to verify” whether its determination is correct.

Eli Lilly will reevaluate “at least once every 14 days” whether the offending websites should continue to be blocked, and provide “no more than 15 target websites” to be blocked or unblocked each month, it added.

The document said the order will end on November 4, 2028, “unless the court orders otherwise”, and Eli Lilly can apply to extend the order.

“Dangerous” medicines

Last month, Eli Lilly told C+D that it had previously taken “legal action”, as well as “issued public warnings, and removed thousands of fraudulent websites, posts and listings across more than 100 countries”, to tackle the supply of fake versions of its medicines.

“Patients should only use authentic Mounjaro and Foundayo that is prescribed by a licensed healthcare professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacy,” it said.

It added that counterfeit medicines are “dangerous” and “may contain the wrong ingredients, too much, too little or no active ingredient at all”, and “often contain bacteria, endotoxins or other harmful contaminants”.

Eli Lilly told C+D that its own efforts “alone are not enough”, and praised the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulation Agency’s (MHRA) warnings on “the risks of fake products and its recent raids on manufacturers and suppliers of black-market medicines”.

“We will keep working with regulators and law enforcement across the globe to disrupt this dangerous market,” it said.

Novo’s case

Eli Lilly’s case follows competitor Novo Nordisk bringing a similar case to the High Court of Justice to stop Viogen Pharma, Pharma-Labs, Leo Labs and The Steroid Supplier selling counterfeit weight loss medicines on their websites.

The first order, granted in October 2025, concerned fake versions of Novo Nordisk’s drugs Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy, Victoza and Saxenda.

The judge presiding over the case noted that at a recent conference he had spoken at, a Novo Nordisk representative who was in the audience “reported that the order had proved very successful”.

The second order, granted in June 2026, was for a “dynamic blocking” order in which seven additional target websites were added to the list.

Novo Nordisk told C+D last month that it took action to protect patients’ safety and its intellectual property rights, and said it appreciated the work of the MHRA, which supported the company’s application to the court.

“Novo Nordisk has worked closely with the MHRA on this issue,” it said.

“This blocking order is an innovative and powerful tool for taking effective action, and forms an important part of the suite of enforcement remedies available against makers and sellers of unlawful products.”

It comes after approximately £2m worth of fake weight loss medicines were seized by the MHRA and West Midlands police last month.

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