SAN ANTONIO - Strive Compounding Pharmacy, a provider of compounded medications, has filed an antitrust lawsuit against pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, alleging a coordinated effort to suppress competition and limit patient access to lawful medications.
The lawsuit was filed January 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division.
Strive alleges that the defendants used their dominant market positions to undermine the compounding pharmacy industry by discouraging providers, telehealth platforms, and patients from prescribing and accessing compounded GLP-1s – a class of medications that mimic the natural hormone GLP-1 to help control blood sugar.
“Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk … would have the world believe that without the potential of reaping hundreds of billions of dollars in profits for the sale of GLP1 drugs, incentives to innovate and compete would be lost, and that exclusivity in the market for GLP-1 medicines serves the greater good,” the suit states. “These assertions are false.”
Nate Hill, CEO of Strive, says the suit is more than a business dispute.
“It’s a fight for the right of every patient to have access to the medicine their doctor prescribes, at a price that isn't dictated by a monopoly,” Hill said. “We are standing up to ensure that medical judgment stays between a doctor and their patient – not a pharmaceutical executive and a balance sheet.
According to the complaint, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have utilized their immense market power not to out-innovate the competition, but to “choke” it out through disparagement, exclusive dealings and third party interference.
“Fair competition is an essential part not only of this industry, but the entire economy,” Hill said. “Without it, access vanishes and prices skyrocket. By filing this lawsuit, we are protecting a lawful, essential industry that millions of Americans rely on for their well-being. To those patients who need them, compounded medications are a Godsend.”
Strive Compounding Pharmacy is represented by BakerHostetler.
Case No. 5:26-cv-00155
