Hims & Hers offers compound Wegovy for $99 a month for certain professions By Reuters

By Amina Niasse

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. telehealth company Hims & Hers Health said on Wednesday it will sell combination versions of Novo Nordisk’s (NYSE: ) popular weight loss drug Wegovy to patients in certain professions for $99 a month.

The company said the price will be available to eligible U.S. military members, teachers, nurses and first responders, including police and firefighters, as well as veterans. For patients with a 12-month plan, Hims offers a semaglutide injection for $199 a month, according to its website.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

The news comes after US Senator Bernie Sanders said several generic drug makers confirmed they could sell customized versions of Novo’s drug for less than $100 a month using semaglutide.

Increased demand for weight loss drugs in the GLP-1 class, which have been shown to help patients lose up to 20% of their weight on average, led to a shortage of drugs that allowed compounders to make them in compliance with US regulations. .

About 70 percent of US adults are either overweight or obese, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

CONTEXT

Ozempic and Wegovy have high list prices of $935.77 and $1,349.02, respectively, for a month’s supply, according to the company’s website. Most patients in the US are covered by health insurance and would likely pay less for drugs.

Novo and rival Eli Lilly (NYSE: ), which makes the weight-loss drug Zepbound, have filed a series of lawsuits against medical spas, wellness clinics and pharmacies for selling products they claim contain the active ingredients in their drugs.

Compounded GLP-1 injections are made and shipped from Hims & Hers-affiliated pharmacies and are regulated by the FDA, the company said.

KEY QUOTE

“The current state of access to weight loss medications is not serving everyone who needs them,” said Andrew Dudum, CEO and co-founder of Hims & Hers. “Safe and affordable healthcare solutions for every individual should be the status quo.”