The company announced on Monday that Novo Nordisk terminated its partnership just a few months after a partnership with direct-to-consumer telemedicine company Hims & Hers. The drug manufacturer believes Hims & hers does not comply with a law that prohibits mass sales of compounded GLP-1 and is using deceptive marketing strategies.
Through partnerships, consumers can access NovoCare Pharmacy, the direct delivery option of Novo Nordisk, directly through the HIMS & HERS platform. For $599 per month, wegovy can be prescribed and earned HIMS and her membership, which includes 24/7 nursing, clinical support, and nutrition guidance.
The partnership soon after the company clashed with Hims and her Super Bowl ad, which featured the company’s compound GLP-1. These are customized through compound pharmacies and include the same active ingredients found in brands such as Wegovy (Semaglutide) and are cheaper than the brand version. Complex drugs are not FDA-approved and can only be prescribed if there is a lack of FDA-approved drugs or cannot be treated with FDA-approved drugs.
Despite the shortage of Semaglutide injections at the time of the Super Bowl ad, the FDA has since said it has addressed the shortage, limiting the company’s compound version. But that doesn’t completely stop them from prescriptions. After announcing the shortage in February was over, Hims & Hers CEO Andrew Dudum said on X that the company “will continue to provide personalized treatments permitted by law to meet the needs of patients.”
Now, Novo Nordisk believes Hims & her “failure to comply with the law that prohibits false disguise based on “personalized” and is spreading deceptive marketing that makes patients safe and dangerous,” said Jamie Bennett, director of media relations at the company in an email.
Bennett added that this is “unacceptable” and is the reason the company ended its partnership with Hims & Hers.
In response, Dudum said on X that the company “sees Novo Novo Nordisk management misleads the public.”
“In recent weeks, Novo Nordisk’s business team has increasingly forced us to control clinical standards and turn patients to Wegovy, whether it is clinically suitable for patients or not,” he added. “We refuse to be strongly armed by any pharmaceutical company’s anti-competitive requirements for independent decisions by providers and limit patient choices.”
Dudum said the company will continue to provide access to Wegovy. In a LinkedIn post, Hims &ers also said it has a “strong safety and quality framework” that includes the use of drug-grade ingredients, conducting comprehensive testing and using clear communications to inform customers of potential side effects.
It is important to note that Novo Nordisk has similar partnerships with other telemedicine companies including RO and Lifemd. While it terminates its partnership with Hims & her, its other collaborations continue.
“In rare cases, Semaglutide compounding is allowed under U.S. compounding laws, and we believe the companies we work with have shown a sincere effort to transition patients to a real FDA-approved Wegovy,” Bennett said. “We are pleased to see other telemedicine companies taking clear actions from promoting and selling compounded Serra Green drugs, as these drugs have never been approved by the FDA as safe and effective and pose a significant safety risk to patients.”
According to an obese medical physician, compound GLP-1 is very unsafe. Dr. Disha Narang, an endocrinologist and director of obesity medicine at Endeavor Health, said more than twelve deaths associated with compound GLP-1, more severe side effects and more ER admissions.
She added that the drug is cheaper when passing through a telemedicine company like Hims & hers. She believes that this is not the case.
“Whether it’s going through his and her prescription in his and her clinic, if you’re going to go through novocare Pharmacy, it’s $500 for everyone anyway. So, there’s no cheap route,” Nalan said. “And if they’re using compound all the time, most patients usually [drugs]whether it’s through Med Spa, Hims & Ber or anything else, the cost is no different, especially when it’s more worth getting a branded version given its risks and dangers. ”
Photographer: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images via Get Image Group
