Eli Lilly halts India obesity campaign after regulatory warning

Drugmaker seeks clarity on rules as regulator suggests awareness drive could indirectly promote Mounjaro

Eli Lilly (LLY) has paused an obesity awareness campaign in India after the country's drugs regulator warned the company it may be breaching rules against advertising prescription medicines to consumers, even indirectly.

Lilly's "We Know Now" campaign, launched in mid-2025 shortly after the company introduced its GLP-1 treatment Mounjaro in India, sought to reframe obesity as a chronic disease rather than a personal failing. It featured newspaper advertisements, billboards, social media posts and collaborations with Bollywood celebrities. While Lilly's corporate logo appeared on campaign materials, Mounjaro was not mentioned by name.

In a 16-page letter to the Drugs Controller General of India dated April 10, seen by Reuters, Lilly said it had halted the campaign "out of an abundance of regulatory caution" following a March advisory from the regulator. The company said the campaign featured doctors discussing obesity and encouraging patients to seek medical advice, without promoting any specific product.

The regulator had warned that surrogate promotions capable of indirectly driving consumers towards a prescription medicine were prohibited, and that influencer activity creating brand recall would be treated as a violation. A separate notice, according to two sources familiar with the matter, flagged that the campaign's timing — coinciding with Mounjaro's India launch — raised concerns about indirect promotion.

Lilly described the resulting guidance as "irreconcilable", arguing that the regulator had simultaneously indicated it could undertake public awareness initiatives while appearing to prohibit even non-branded, doctor-led campaigns. The company asked for clarity on whether physician-led disease discussions, with no reference to specific medicines, would fall foul of the restrictions.

The dispute comes as India's obesity drug market is forecast to grow from 17.34bn rupees today to 80bn rupees ($839mn) annually by 2030. Lilly launched Mounjaro in India in March 2025 ahead of Danish rival Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), and the drug became the country's top-selling obesity treatment by October. It is unclear whether Novo, which also runs obesity awareness campaigns in India, received a similar advisory.