Mounjaro maker launches High Court action to block counterfeit drug sites

Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly has initiated legal proceedings in the London High Court to halt the sale of counterfeit drugs on black-market websites. The lawsuit targets internet service providers (ISPs) including BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk, and Virgin Media, claiming they are responsible for enabling access to sites selling unverified, unauthorized versions of Eli Lilly's medicines.

The company, which holds trademarks for its products and services, alleges these products pose significant health risks due to their unverified and unauthorized nature. Lilly's legal counsel, Kirkland & Ellis, filed the case in the English High Court, which is now publicly available. Regulators and law enforcement worldwide have previously warned about the dangers of counterfeit medicines.

Under English law, Eli Lilly must seek a court order from the High Court to compel ISPs to block UK consumers from accessing the counterfeit websites. This action follows the granting of a medicine-blocking order by the High Court in May, which compelled major British ISPs to block access to sites selling counterfeit medicines such as Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide.

According to research by BMC Medicine, an estimated 1.6 million adults in England, Wales, and Scotland used weight-loss drugs similar to Mounjaro and Wegovy, but the surge in demand, coupled with limited NHS supply and stricter checks, has led to a significant increase in counterfeit medicines. The UK's health regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has issued warnings about falsified Mounjaro KwikPens distributed through unauthorized channels.

Eli Lilly has also launched a public awareness campaign in Ireland to educate the public about the risks of counterfeit medications and the importance of obtaining them only from regulated sources and pharmacies.