Double O Heaven or Weight Loss Hell Eli Lilly Sues Telehealth Companies!

The Name's Bond James Bond and This is a Sticky Situation

Right then a rather delicate situation has landed on my desk. Apparently Eli Lilly the pharmaceutical giant is in a bit of a dust up with some telehealth outfits. Seems they're peddling 'copycat' versions of Lilly's weight loss drug Zepbound and diabetes treatment Mounjaro. Now I've dealt with counterfeit goods before – diamonds priceless artwork even the odd Faberge egg – but counterfeit medication? That's a new level of dangerous wouldn't you say?

A Licence to Pill? Not Quite...

Lilly is accusing these sites – Mochi Health Fella Health Willow Health and Henry Meds – of pulling the wool over the public's eyes with these 'untested unapproved drugs.' Sounds like a classic case of 'Live and Let Die' if you ask me. These firms are allegedly mass marketing slightly tweaked versions of Lilly's drugs to sidestep the FDA's watchful gaze. It seems that the only thing these companies are good at is playing God and as we know "playing God" is a fool’s game.

Shaken Not Stirred...But Definitely Not Approved

And it gets worse! Some of these chaps are flogging formulations that haven't even been properly studied like oral tablets and drops. Honestly you wouldn't catch me swallowing anything that hasn't been thoroughly vetted unless of course it was a dry martini. Now M said "Bond you have a license to kill not to break the laws of the land." but where is the fun in that?

A Shortage of Ethics Perhaps?

Apparently there was a shortage of Mounjaro back in '22 which allowed pharmacies to start producing their own versions. It's all about filling a gap in the market you see. But when the FDA declared the shortage over some of these pharmacies kept at it making slightly different versions hoping to stay out of trouble. As Goldfinger said "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times it's enemy action." I'd say Lilly is starting to feel like they're under attack.

Personalized Medicine or Personalized Risk?

One of the telehealth platforms Mochi Health was brazen enough to say they'd keep selling compounded versions thinking 'personalized treatments' would keep them safe. Their CEO Myra Ahmad even shrugged off the threat of legal action claiming her prescribers have 'established patient physician relationships.' Well darling that's not quite how it works in the real world. "I admire your courage Miss…," but unfortunately this has turned into a fatal mission for them.

The World Is Not Enough…Medication for Everyone?

Lilly isn't buying it of course. They're claiming that Ahmad isn't a licensed physician and that Mochi and its 'unlicensed owners' are pulling the strings influencing prescribing decisions. Sounds like a classic power play to me. In all four cases Lilly wants these sites to stop marketing or selling tirzepatide. But these things take time which means this saga is far from over. Until then I'll stick to my vodka martini shaken not stirred and my medicine from Q branch.