Bad Homburg – September 07, 2026 -- Lilly Germany has launched a nationwide awareness campaign arguing that obesity is a chronic, treatable disease rather than a personal failing, rolling out across TV, social media, outdoor advertising and pharmacy displays starting September 1.
A father's apology anchors the campaign film
The centerpiece is a short film depicting a father calling his adult daughter, who lives with obesity, to apologize. He admits that for years he withheld the support she needed because he believed weight loss was simply a matter of discipline. Lindsay Zeckel, Vice President of Cardiometabolic Health at Lilly Deutschland, said the apology scene is meant to invite viewers to reconsider their own assumptions about obesity, adding that genuine support is only possible once the condition is recognized as a chronic disease.
Nearly 14 million adults in Germany live with obesity
Citing the Robert Koch-Institut's 2023 GEDA study, Lilly notes that roughly 13.79 million German adults -- about 19.7 percent -- live with obesity. The company says many of them blame themselves for their weight or face stigma from family and community, which discourages them from seeking medical treatment.
The campaign pushes people toward medical consultation, including telemedicine
Lilly's core message is that obesity is treatable and that the first step should be a medical consultation on current treatment options, available either in person at a doctor's office or through telemedicine services.
The effort builds on a two-year-old initiative called #gutbehandelt
Since 2024, Lilly Germany has run educational outreach under the question "What if the body itself prevents weight loss?", combined with social media content tagged #gutbehandelt. In March 2026, the company staged a multi-day exhibition in Berlin around World Obesity Day, where visitors could learn about the disease, hear patient stories and speak directly with physicians.
Dr. Stefanie Srock, Medical Director at Lilly Deutschland, said hormonal and metabolic processes play a decisive role in what she described as a complex, multifactorial chronic disease, but stigma persists even within the healthcare system itself. She argued that only when doctors, families and society at large accept obesity as a disease will more people find the courage to seek professional help early.