Hims & Hers launches weight-loss business in UK

Telehealth company Hims & Hers has launched its direct-to-consumer weight-loss therapy channel in the UK, offering GLP-1 agonists like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy at a starting price of £149 per month.

The move also marks the launch in the UK of the Hers part of the Hims & Hers business, which until now has focused mainly on erectile dysfunction, hair loss, and other men's health issues.

The move into the UK weight-loss category has been facilitated by the acquisition earlier this year of Zava, a London-based telehealth company that also operates in Germany, France, and Ireland. Zava has around 1.3 million active users in its four European markets and delivered 2.3 million online consultations last year.

Hims & Hers' relationship with Novo Nordisk broke down earlier this year amid accusations that the telehealth firm was engaged in illegal compounding and deceptive marketing of copies of Wegovy (semaglutide), but started talking about a renewed partnership last month.

According to Hims & Hers, two-thirds of UK adults are overweight or living with obesity, but "access to GLP-1 treatment plans remains challenging on the NHS, and via the private sector, due to surging demand and escalating costs."

Along with Wegovy, Hims & Hers will also offer Eli Lilly's GIP/GLP-1 agonist Mounjaro (tirzepatide) to UK customers, as well as Crescent Pharma's Orlos (orlistat), an older, over-the-counter weight-loss product. Wegovy prices will start at £149 per month for a year's subscription.

It is promising ongoing clinician support for customers through follow-ups and asynchronous messaging, along with treatment adjustments when necessary, along with content to help improve nutrition, movement, and sleep habits.

"The launch of Hims & Hers' comprehensive weight loss programme and the vital introduction of the Hers platform, our dedicated platform for women, represents a significant deepening of our commitment to the UK," said David Meinertz, general manager of the company's international operations.

"Our doctor-designed treatment plans will complement the NHS by providing accessible, evidence-based, and sustainable long-term weight management care to those who need it, discreetly and conveniently."

The DTC model is analogous to what is now becoming increasingly widespread in the US, where patients pay a monthly subscription for medicines and get them directly from the manufacturer, bypassing supply chain middlemen.

There have been concerns that the emergence of DTC channels and the Trump administration's Most Favoured Nation (MFN) drug pricing policy could lead to some manufacturers simply refusing to supply some medicines to health systems in the UK and other European countries if reimbursement authorities set their prices too low, relying instead on private sales – at least for some medicines.