Lilly asks people who took compounded tirzepatide for their medical records

Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) is taking the unusual step of asking people who took compounded versions of their drug tirzepatide, marketed as Zepbound for weight loss and Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, for medical records to examine potential safety concerns.

However, the effort is also seen by some as a way for the pharma giant to build a case against companies that are selling compounded tirzepatide, which is eating away at Lilly’s profits, per a report in Bloomberg.

The news service obtained a letter sent to some patients who received the compounded medicine from Lilly’s Global Patient Safety division. “We would appreciate if you could complete the enclosed form and sign the Authorization for Release of Medical Information so that we can obtain more details from the treating physician around your experience.”

A Lilly spokesperson told Bloomberg that the letter is part of its efforts to keep tabs on the safety of its drugs.

Compounded versions of drugs are legal if there is a shortage of that medicine. Although both Lilly and rival Novo Nordisk (NVO) have been dealing with supply issues of their respective GLP-1 weight loss and diabetes drugs given their immense popularity, Novo Nordisk earlier in September said all doses of Ozempic (semaglutide) are available in the U.S. while Lilly said its tirzepatide shortage in the U.S. ended in August.

Lilly CEO David Ricks told Bloomberg compounded drugmakers are taking risks given they are “using foreign material that’s uninspected, unapproved and of unknown quality and purity.”

If Lilly is indeed aiming to go after companies selling the compounded drugs, it could directly impact firms such as Hims & Hers Health (HIMS), which is selling cheap compounded versions of semaglutide, as well as Noom.