Novo partners with Hims & Hers again, ending GLP-1 spat

Months of legal wrangling between Novo Nordisk and telehealth company Hims & Hers has been set aside, as the two companies agree to work together once again on the sale of GLP-1 agonists for weight loss.

The two companies announced today that Hims & Hers will now be able to sell Novo Nordisk's injectable and oral semaglutide products, sold respectively as Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy for obesity, at the same self-pay prices as are offered by Novo Nordisk's other telehealth partners.

The two companies had a similar arrangement last year, but the deal fell apart acrimoniously, with Novo Nordisk accusing the telehealth company of illegal mass compounding and deceptive marketing.

Under the terms of the new deal, Hims & Hers will no longer sell compounded versions of semaglutide, a practice that has sparked lawsuits between the company and Novo Nordisk and against which the FDA recently launched a crackdown.

Earlier this year, Hims & Hers said it was launching a compounded version of Novo Nordisk's newly approved Wegovy pill, a major new product in its weight-loss franchise, only to backtrack after a lawsuit from the pharma company and a pledge from the FDA to restrict compounding of GLP-1 agonist medicines that are being "mass-marketed."

In a statement, Novo Nordisk said the rapprochement between the two companies is "a meaningful win for patients in the US" and will expand access to Ozempic and Wegovy, adding that the two products have been "evaluated for safety and efficacy."

The company also said that it "welcomes Hims & Hers shifting their GLP-1 business model to focus on increasing access to affordable, branded FDA-approved medicines." It has also agreed to drop its lawsuit with Hims & Hers that followed the compounded oral semaglutide announcement.

Having the additional sales for Wegovy pill could be particularly valuable as Novo Nordisk tries to build sales momentum for the oral formulation of semaglutide before competition emerges. Its main rival in the US weight-loss category, Eli Lilly, is currently waiting for an FDA decision on its oral GLP-1 agonist orforglipron in the second quarter of this year.

Meanwhile, the deal marks something of a change in tone from Hims & Hers, which has been aggressive in its efforts to promote compounded therapies. It has previously accused the pharma industry of selling weight-loss drugs at unreasonably high prices.

The company said a "strategic shift" means it will now focus on "an increasing variety of FDA-approved GLP-1s," making compounded semaglutide available only to patients whose physician determines that is "clinically necessary."

Under US regulations, compounders can only provide in-patent medicines that are in short supply – which no longer applies to semaglutide – or in niche applications to provide personalised formulations not available from the original manufacturer. With the shortages route now closed off, some compounders have attempted to get around regulations by launching 'microdose' or 'bespoke' formulations of GLP-1 drugs.