Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have rebutted claims that they have partnered with telehealth provider Mangoceuticals, sending the online company's shares back down after an initial rise.
On 13 November, Mangoceuticals – a company that offers a range of medication via its online telemedicine platform – announced it had partnered with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to offer the drugmakers’ popular weight loss injections.
For MangoRx Direct and PeachesRx Direct programme members, Mangoceuticals said it would offer users “direct access” to Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide) and Novo’s Wegovy (semaglutide).
The branded medications will be available to customers via Lilly and Novo’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) platforms, called LillyDirect and NovoCare Pharmacy, respectively.
However, soon after announcing the partnerships, Eli Lilly categorically denied any affiliation with the telehealth company.
“Eli Lilly has no affiliation with Mangoceuticals. Any communication or media report suggesting a partnership between Lilly and Mangoceuticals is false. In fact, Lilly sued Mangoceuticals last year and obtained a permanent injunction,” the company said in a statement.
MangoRx, a brand to which Mangoceuticals is the parent company, was one of three online vendors and medical spas sued by Eli Lilly in October 2024. The US big pharma company accused the sellers of improperly copying tirzepatide and consequently putting patients’ safety at risk. MangoRx strongly refuted the claims at the time.
Whilst Lilly announced in its statement that it obtained a court order, the company did say that any healthcare provider can prescribe Lilly medicines and send prescriptions to LillyDirect for fulfilment. This includes “those who work with telehealth platforms,” Lilly added.
In an emailed statement, Novo Nordisk said it was “not made aware of the announcement issued by Mangoceuticals. We do not have any agreement or partnership with this company.”
Mangoceuticals did not immediately respond to Pharmaceutical Technology when approached for comment on Lilly and Novo’s statements.
Mangoceutical’s initial announcement had impressed investors, with stock rising 21% to $2.18 at market open on 13 November. By market close, after both pharmas had rebuffed the claim, the share price had slumped to $1.19, lower than the 12 November close of $1.76. The company has a market cap of $67.7m.
Despite the controversy, Mangoceuticals is at least going down the branded glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) path. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been attempting to clamp down on telehealth providers issuing compounded versions of semaglutide and tirzepatide. Compounded weight loss drugs are no longer allowed as per current FDA leglisation unless they are being personalised.
Mangoceutical’s launch comes soon after US pricing changes for Zepbound and Wegovy. Weight loss and diabetes jabs have been a particular target of pricing reforms introduced by the Trump administration in the US. Just last week, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly reached deals with the White House that will see their GLP-1RA brands drop in price.
