Wegovy & Hims & Hers: Novo Nordisk Ends Partnership
Breaking news from News Directory 3: Novo Nordisk has abruptly ended its partnership with Hims & Hers, citing concerns over deceptive marketing and illegal compounding practices related to the popular weight-loss drug, wegovy. This decisive move comes after Novo Nordisk accused Hims & Hers of failing to comply with regulations and putting patients at risk with perhaps unsafe knock-off drugs containing the primary_keyword, semaglutide. The collaboration, intended to transition patients to FDA-approved Wegovy from compounded versions, has been abruptly terminated. The fallout includes Hims & Hers’s CEO, Andrew Dudum, claiming Novo Nordisk attempted to control clinical standards. Patient safety is paramount, states Novo Nordisk. The pharmacy, NovoCare, will cease providing Hims & Hers with direct access to Wegovy. Discover what’s next in this evolving story.
Novo Nordisk has ended its collaboration with Hims & Hers Health, alleging deceptive marketing and illegal compounding practices that endanger patient safety. The move severs a partnership initiated in late April to transition patients from compounded semaglutide versions to the FDA-approved Wegovy (semaglutide, Novo Nordisk), following the resolution of Wegovy supply shortages, according to a Novo Nordisk press release. The shortage had previously allowed GLP-1 knockoffs to proliferate.
Novo Nordisk alleges Hims & Hers Health engaged in illegal tactics risking patient safety. Image: Adobe Stock
According to Novo Nordisk, Hims & Hers “failed to adhere to the law,” engaging in mass sales of compounded drugs under the guise of personalization and disseminating deceptive marketing that jeopardizes patient safety. This determination came just over a month after the collaboration began.
A Novo Nordisk examination revealed that the active semaglutide ingredients in knock-off drugs are manufactured in China. The FDA has not approved the manufacturing processes, product quality, or laboratory conditions of these suppliers, the company stated.
“Novo nordisk is deeply concerned and is continuing to take proactive measures to keep U.S. patients safe from knock-off drugs made with foreign illicit active pharmaceutical ingredients,” the release stated. “U.S. patients should not be exposed to knock-off drugs made with unsafe and illicit foreign ingredients.”
Novo Nordisk’s pharmacy, NovoCare, will no longer provide Hims & hers direct access to Wegovy. However, the company will continue to make the product available to telehealth organizations that share its commitment to safe and effective medical treatment for patients living with chronic diseases, according to the release.
Dave Moore, executive vice president of U.S. Operations for Novo Nordisk, said the company is firm in its position on protecting patients living with obesity. “When patients are prescribed semaglutide treatments by their licensed health care professional or a telehealth provider, they are entitled to receive authentic, FDA-approved and regulated Wegovy,” Moore said. “We will work with telehealth companies to provide direct access to Wegovy that share our commitment to patient safety – and when companies engage in illegal sham compounding that jeopardizes the health of Americans, we will continue to take action.”
andrew Dudum, founder and CEO of Hims & Hers, responded on X, stating he was “disappointed to see Novo nordisk management misleading the public.”
Dudum said that Novo Nordisk’s commercial team increasingly pressured Hims & Hers to control clinical standards and steer patients to Wegovy, irrespective of whether it was clinically best for them. “We refuse to be strong-armed by any pharmaceutical company’s anticompetitive demands that infringe on the independent decision making of providers and limit patient choice,” Dudum stated. “we take our role of protecting the ability of providers and patients to control individual treatment decisions extremely seriously and will not compromise the integrity of our platform to appease a third party or preserve a collaboration.”
“The health and wellness of individuals always comes first,” he continued. “We will continue to offer access to a range of treatments, including Wegovy, to ensure providers can serve the individual needs of patients.”
Editor’s note: This is a developing news story. Please check back soon for more details.