Apple partners with FuturHealth on weight loss

Apple has made it possible to bundle a weight-loss therapy programme into its Fitness+ subscription, thanks to a partnership with telehealth company FuturHealth.

The partnership means that Apple's fitness and wellness service will be made available to all members who enrol onto FuturHealth's prescription weight-loss programme, which revolves around prescriptions for GLP-1 agonist-based drugs like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy (semaglutide) and Eli Lilly's Zepbound (tirzepatide).

The move suggests that tech giants like Apple are starting to respond to the massive industry building around GLP-1 weight-loss therapies, which are being mainly paid for out-of-pocket in the US, and could serve as a model for parallel programmes involving other chronic, lifestyle-related disorders.

FuturHealth provides 'personalised' GLP-1 drug therapies alongside other weight-loss offerings like meal kits and lifestyle support and advice, mainly through a smartphone app, and has hundreds of thousands of users in the US backed by a network of thousands of healthcare professionals. It delivers compounded medication directly to customer homes through a partnership with Alto Pharmacy.

Now, its customers – who pay between $130 and $1,300 per month, depending on the level of service – will get a Fitness+ subscription at no additional cost. It marks the first time that Apple's $11-per-month service has been integrated with a weight-loss drug offering.

"Our top priority has always been to help people on a weight loss journey experience real, long-lasting results through holistic lifestyle changes and personalised support," said Luke Mahoney, co-founder and chief executive of FuturHealth.

"With this Fitness+ offer, users can tap into thousands of workouts and meditations – wherever and whenever they choose – at no extra cost," he added.

A recent report from health insurance data non-profit organisation FAIR Health suggested that more than 2% of adult Americans are using GLP-1 therapies for obesity or those who are overweight, approximately 5 million people. However, studies suggest that individuals who stop taking the drugs often experience a regain in appetite and weight, and it is becoming well recognised that the key to maintaining the benefit is better after-treatment support.

Recent guidance from UK reimbursement authority NICE called for regular check-ins and practical strategies to support with sustainable routines, social support, and accessing community help, and the Fitness+ programme – with its trainer-led physical training, yoga, Pilates, dance, cycling, treadmill, rowing, and guided meditations – falls into that category.

The announcement comes as compounded semaglutide faces mounting legal restrictions, after semaglutide and tirzepatide were both removed from the official FDA shortages list. Companies are attempting to get around restrictions under loopholes in the law that allow compounders to make GLP-1 drugs in small quantities for patients whose needs are not met by a standard formulation.

Novo Nordisk and Lilly are both pursuing legal actions attempting to close that loophole.