Novo Nordisk has terminated its partnership with telehealth company Hims & Hers Health, accusing it of deceptively marketing weight-loss drugs.
The short-lived partnership, announced in April, allowed Hims & Hers to offer Wegovy — an FDA-approved medication for chronic weight management — at a discounted price of $599 per dose. The drug's regular price is $1,349. Wegovy is typically administered once every four weeks.
However, Novo Nordisk said it took issue with the company’s continued sale of compounded versions of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy. Those compounded versions are not approved by the FDA, though they were temporarily allowed under a 2022 FDA ruling due to a national shortage. That shortage has since ended.
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"When companies engage in illegal sham compounding that jeopardizes the health of Americans, we will continue to take action," said Dave Moore, executive vice president of U.S. operations at Novo Nordisk.
Hims & Hers had been offering one-month doses of compounded GLP-1 medications starting at $165 per month.
The FDA said in April it had received more than 1,000 reports of adverse side effects linked to compounded versions of GLP-1 drugs — though not necessarily from Hims & Hers.
Scripps News has reached out to Hims & Hers for comment and is awaiting a response.
