Amina Nias
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. telemedicine company Hims & Hers Health said on Wednesday it would sell a compounded version of Novo Nordisk Inc’s popular weight-loss drug Wegovy to patients in certain professions for $99 a month.
The company said the price is available to eligible U.S. military personnel, teachers, nurses, emergency responders including police and firefighters, and veterans. For patients on a 12-month plan, the company is offering semaglutide injections for $199 per month, according to its website.
Why is this important?
The news comes after U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders said he has seen multiple generic drug makers use semaglutide to sell customised versions of Novo’s drug for less than $100 a month.
Surge in demand for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, which are believed to help patients lose an average of 20 percent of their body weight, is preventing regulated U.S. compounders from producing the drugs.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 70% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese.
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Ozempic and Wegovy have price tags of $935.77 and $1,349.02 for a one-month supply, respectively, according to the company’s websites. Most U.S. patients have health insurance and would likely pay less for the drugs.
Novo and rival Eli Lilly, maker of the weight-loss drug Zepbound, have filed a series of lawsuits against medical spas, wellness clinics and compounding pharmacies for selling products they claim contain the active ingredients in Novo’s drugs.
According to the company, the compounded GLP-1 injections are manufactured and shipped by Hims & Hers’ affiliated pharmacies and are regulated by the FDA.
Important Quotes
“The current state of access to weight loss medications is not reaching everyone who needs them,” said Andrew Dudum, CEO and co-founder of Hims & Hers. “Safe, affordable health care solutions for every individual should be the status quo.”
(Reporting by Amina Nias in New York; Editing by Patrick Wingrove and Aurora Ellis)
