The two main manufacturers of anti-obesity treatments in the world were sanctioned on Monday by French health authorities for advertisements encouraging the general public to turn to their drugs, which are not reimbursed by Social Security.
The national medicines agency (ANSM) announced financial sanctions in France against the pharmaceutical laboratories Novo Nordisk (Danish) and Eli Lilly (American) for an amount close to two million euros in total.
The health authority imposed a global sanction of more than 1.78 million euros on Novo Nordisk France for campaigns likely to “encourage the general public” to use its anti-obesity treatments – Saxenda and Wegovy -, two specialties from the GLP-1 analogue family, considered one of the major pharmaceutical advances of recent years.
In detail, the Danish manufacturer, champion of insulin, faces a fine of one million euros, the maximum amount provided for by the texts, concerning the dissemination of advertisements in favor of its drug Saxenda as well as a sanction of 783,838 euros relating to Wegovy.
To a lesser extent, Eli Lilly France was fined 108,766 euros for a campaign around its anti-obesity Mounjaro.
The ANSM considers that these communications are “likely to constitute an indirect promotion of medicines subject to compulsory medical prescription”, while the regulations prohibit any advertising to the general public for these treatments not reimbursed by Health Insurance.
In a context of heavy media coverage and increasing misuse of GLP-1 analogues for aesthetic weight loss purposes, the agency emphasizes that these campaigns, widely distributed on different media, were likely to mislead the public.
Novo Nordisk contests
In a reaction to AFP, Novo Nordisk France “firmly contests” the position of the ANSM and “examines any possible avenue of appeal against this decision”.
A little before last summer, the company had posted posters in the corridors of the Paris metro, featuring an overweight person determined to “act” for their health.
According to the ANSM, since October 2025 it has been broadcasting “two new media to the general public”, including a message on social networks discussing the difficulties of weight loss linked to menopause and inviting people to consult a gynecologist, illustrated by a woman entering menopause.
Videos redirecting to a website (audeladupoids.fr) containing information on obesity and its treatments, featuring a woman in her forties who had been overweight, were also singled out.
“These campaigns – which are, at present, no longer disseminated – were part of good prevention and awareness practices,” defends Novo Nordisk, which unveiled a study in March by the Asterès firm, estimating the medico-economic cost of obesity in France at 18 billion euros per year.
For its part, Eli Lilly France said it took note of the ANSM’s decision, considering that its awareness campaign entitled “Obesity is a sick thing” (April 2025), was “in accordance with the framework applicable to communications relating to human health”.
First marketed as an anti-diabetic, GLP-1s have now proven themselves as treatments of unprecedented effectiveness in reducing obesity, which explains the enthusiasm they arouse. Their prescription is reserved for well-defined situations.
Through its decision, the drug watch aims “to prevent any communication likely to promote the use of drug treatment as the main response to obesity, to induce the public to request this treatment from a health professional or to seek to obtain it”.
The sale and promotion of these medicines on the internet without authorization is illegal, recalls the ANSM. It regularly warns against products that may be counterfeit and which should not be used for cosmetic purposes.
