August 6, 2025 – Novo Nordisk announced Tuesday that it has filed more than a dozen new lawsuits targeting weight loss companies, med spas, and pharmacies accused of deceiving patients into purchasing and using unapproved drugs containing semaglutide, the key ingredient in the company’s blockbuster medications Wegovy and Ozempic.
These latest legal actions are part of a broader effort, with over 140 lawsuits filed across 40 states, aimed at combating illegal marketing and business practices that put patient safety at risk.
Among the 14 new lawsuits is a case against telehealth platform Mochi Health. Novo Nordisk alleges Mochi Health sells unapproved compounded drugs and misleads consumers by implying that the products have been reviewed and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, also highlights the use of images of authentic Ozempic injector pens on Mochi’s website, despite the company not prescribing or offering the genuine medicine.
“There is no need for Mochi to use the Ozempic and Wegovy trademarks to promote unapproved compounded drugs containing ‘semaglutide,’ other than to trade on our reputation and create marketplace confusion,” the complaint states.
Dave Moore, Executive Vice President of Novo Nordisk U.S. Operations, emphasized the company’s commitment to patient safety: “Patients deserve safe, effective treatments from companies they can trust. No one should have to gamble with their health by using knockoff drugs made with ingredients lacking proper oversight and safety standards.”
Novo Nordisk is taking a multi-faceted approach that includes education, advocacy, and aggressive legal action against businesses misleading the public and jeopardizing health with unsafe, unapproved semaglutide knockoffs. Moore also called on regulators to enforce laws protecting public health.
Semaglutide is the foundational molecule in Novo Nordisk’s three prescription-only medicines—Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy. Novo Nordisk is the only company in the U.S. authorized to market FDA-approved semaglutide medicines and use the related trademarks.
The lawsuits accuse the defendants of deceptive practices, including falsely implying FDA approval for compounded products and improperly influencing doctors’ decisions to prescribe unapproved knockoffs. Many of these knockoffs contain illicit foreign active pharmaceutical ingredients and have not undergone safety and effectiveness approval.
Additional lawsuits target Arkansas-based med spa Prism Aesthetics, accused of misleading patients by labeling unapproved compounded drugs as generic versions of semaglutide and tirzepatide, and men’s weight loss company Fella Health, which Novo Nordisk claims is controlled by a non-physician CEO with non-physician staff regularly providing medical advice and manipulating prescriptions. Texas-based Axtell’s Rite-Value Pharmacy is also named for marketing unapproved compounded semaglutide drugs.
Novo Nordisk continues to defend its intellectual property and protect patients through these ongoing legal efforts.
