03:32 AM EDT, 10/22/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates attribution to Lilly in the first paragraph and adds comments from the company in the last three paragraphs.)

Eli Lilly ( LLY ) said Monday it has filed lawsuits against medical spas and online vendors for selling products claiming to contain tirzepatide, the main ingredient in its weight-loss drug Zepbound.

The lawsuits named Pivotal Peptides, MangoRx, and Genesis Lifestyle Medicine of Nevada, Reuters reported.

The legal actions against sellers of the drug are the first since the US Food and Drug Administration took tirzepatide off the list of medicines in short supply this month. Eli Lilly ( LLY ) claims the lawsuits were not connected to the FDA delisting, Reuters reported.

The lawsuits were filed in Indiana, Texas, and Washington courts and demand that the companies stop selling the drugs and pay monetary damages, Reuters reported.

In a statement sent to MT Newswires, Eli Lilly ( LLY ) said it was filing lawsuits against companies "engaging in conduct that poses serious risks to patient safety."

It added that two of the companies "unlawfully tout the efficacy of their manipulated tirzepatide knockoffs...even though neither has been clinically tested, let alone reviewed by FDA for safety or efficacy."

"No one should ever be allowed to sell these untested, non-human grade or manipulated drugs to American consumers," the statement said.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

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