Eli Lilly sues companies selling alternative versions of its weight loss drug

Eli Lilly sues companies selling alternative versions of its weight loss drugtoggle caption Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images/BloombergEli Lilly, the drugmaker behind the blockbuster weight loss drug Zepbound, is suing four telehealth companies for allegedly selling illegal copies of the drug made by compounding pharmacies. Rather, they are essentially copies that are allowed to be made by special pharmacies called compounding pharmacies during drug shortages. "Anyone continuing to sell mass compounded tirzepatide is breaking the law and deceiving patients," Lilly said in a company statement sent to NPR. Now, it has turned its attention to telehealth companies selling compounded tirzepatide. Scott Brunner, the CEO of the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding, an advocacy group for compounding pharmacies, declined to comment on the specific suits or companies.