Weight loss drug manufacturer slams celebrities over using them for 'vanity'

They’ve broken their silence

The pharmaceutical companies responsible for Ozempic and Mounjaro have broken their silence on the medications' widespread use, misuse, and newfound role in popular culture. 

Ahead of the 2024 Oscars – arguably Hollywood’s most glamorous night of the year – pharmaceutical conglomerate Eli Lilly has launched a new commercial, making their stance on the widespread misuse of their medication Mounjaro abundantly clear. 

Published publicly on the company’s YouTube page, the 30-second clip criticises many people for taking the medication as a means to rapidly lose weight, speaking up for patients around the world who are now unable to get their hands on Mounjaro and other drugs due to a global supply shortage. 

It’s an important development in what has become one of our generation’s most compelling medical narratives, directly (and indirectly) impacting millions of people worldwide. 

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The commercial, titled ‘Big Night’, addresses the supply and distribution issues caused by the popularity of drugs such as Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy. 

“Some people have been using medicine never meant for them. For the smaller dress or tux, for a big night, for vanity,” the commercial states over a series of clips showing people preparing for a glamorous event. “But that’s not the point.”

“People whose health is affected by obesity are the reason we work on these medications. It matters who gets them,” the voiceover continues, cutting to a sombre visual of a regular woman riding the subway.

Watch the full commercial below:

Eli Lilly’s medication, Mounjaro, has been found to increase weight loss in users by reducing appetite and improving how the body breaks down sugar and fat, similar to another competing drug Semiglutide (more commonly known as Ozempic). Like Ozempic, Mounjaro is FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes, not assist Hollywood stars in dropping down a dress size before a red carpet event.  

“We have a point of view about how these drugs are being used,” Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks tells CNN. “These medicines were invented for people with a serious health condition; they were not invented just to have someone who’s famous look a little bit better.”

“It just so happens at the end of the week is a big award show, the Oscars,” he continues. “And so we’re kind of seizing that moment to juxtapose those two ideas, that this is a serious condition with a serious medication. We have to use language to talk about the condition beyond just what size dress you fit into or whatever. It’s not for that.”

Earlier this year, coinciding with the launch of the telehealth website LillyDirect, the company issued a similar statement echoing its stance towards Mounjaro misuse.

“Mounjaro and Zepbound are indicated for the treatment of serious diseases; they are not approved for – and should not be used for – cosmetic weight loss,” the statement says. “Lilly does not promote or encourage the use of Mounjaro, Zepbound, or any Lilly medicines outside of a medicine’s FDA-approved indication.”

Weight loss medications are the worst-kept secret in Hollywood. Image: iStock

The growing condemnation of medication misuse

Eli Lilly joins a long list of public figures and organisations in condemning the questionable use of these drugs – especially calling out individuals who have taken the medications for weight loss purposes rather than what they were originally designed for. 

Just this week, the Therapeutic Goods Administration – Australia’s pharmaceutical watchdog – announced plans to further regulate compound pharmacists’ ability to manufacture and supply copycat medications. The move is designed to protect an industry currently being taken advantage of by consumers seeking the medication for weight loss purposes and wholesale distributors. 

The commercial – and upcoming regulations within Australia – aim to convince the public that drugs such as Mounjaro and Ozempic should only be taken to address the medical concerns they were designed for, not to fuel vanity or superficial desires. 

Originally published as Weight loss drug manufacturer slams celebrities over using them for 'vanity'