False and Misleading: What the FDA Says About Zepbound, Mounjaro, Wegovy

Original posted at obesity.news/ on Sep 16, 2025

Oprah, The FDA, and the Warning Letters

When Oprah Winfrey sat down on ABC and Hulu for her special “Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution,” it felt like a cultural turning point. For millions of us who live with obesity, it was one of the first times our disease, our struggle, was given a national spotlight without being reduced to a joke.

But now, months later, the FDA has dropped a bombshell.

They issued separate warning letters to both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. These are the makers of Zepbound, Mounjaro, Wegovy, Ozempic, and Victoza. The FDA says the Oprah special was false and misleading.

“These violations are concerning from a public health perspective because the promotional communication creates a misleading impression regarding the safety of Zepbound and Mounjaro.”— U.S. FDA to Eli Lilly

Some people in this community probably saw this coming. When you spotlight powerful drugs in a glossy TV special without laying out the warnings, the potential side effects, and the limits of what we know, the FDA was going to have questions.

A post shared by @manonthemounjaro

How This Ties Into the HIMS Fallout

On today’s podcast we dug into the FDA’s warning letter to HIMS, the telehealth giant, over their advertising of compounded semaglutide.That letter matters because it set the stage for possible legal action under the Lanham Act, a law that allows companies to sue over false advertising. Novo Nordisk has even said publicly that compounded semaglutide has cut into their business.

Put these pieces together:

• HIMS gets hit for saying their compound is “the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy.”

• Lilly and Novo now get hit for letting Oprah’s special skip over the risks.

• Telehealth companies on notice to reel in affiliate marketing

• The FDA is signaling they are done letting anyone, whether it is a scrappy telehealth company or Big Pharma, play fast and loose with the truth when it comes to obesity drugs.

This is not just regulatory housekeeping. It is about who ultimately controls the story patients hear when they are desperate for answers.

Why You Should Watch

We covered all of this on the pod today because it is too important to ignore. You need to hear how the FDA letters, the lawsuits, the marketing, and the patient experience all connect.

That is why I put the full breakdown on YouTube. If you think Oprah was telling the whole story, you need to watch. If you think the FDA is only targeting compounders, you need to watch. And if you have ever felt like the patient perspective is being erased in all this, you really need to watch.

Stay tuned to OnThePen.com for more updates and in-depth analysis on the latest developments in weight loss and diabetes treatments. Sharing this article is a powerful form of advocacy that brings us closer to our goal of educating the masses and reducing the stigma of obesity. If you found this article insightful, please share it within your networks, especially in Facebook groups and Reddit forums dedicated to GLP-1 medications and diabetes management. Together, we can make a difference.

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