Congratulations to Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy, for officially pulling its Syringe Linked to Times Square partnership with Hims & Hers. That decision followed a year of escalating conflict over NGO clinic standards and patient safety. What is Wegovy and how does it work? It is intended for people with obesity or people who are overweight with at least one other risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This is a significant shift in Wegovy’s distribution plan with this decision. It comes as the medication, which can reverse opioid overdoses, faces heightened scrutiny and skyrocketing demand.
Since its initial rollout, Wegovy has been consistently hounded by shortages after proving immensely popular among patients looking for effective solutions to manage their weight. Novo Nordisk revealed just this week that it was finally on track to keep up with demand for Wegovy after a series of supply issues. The FDA made that clear last week when it removed Wegovy from its shortage list. Now, a new ruling by a federal judge in Texas has significantly strengthened this groundbreaking decision. This ruling prevents compounding pharmacies from producing illegal copies of Wegovy and Ozempic, another drug invented by Novo Nordisk.
Though the supply issues are solved, relations between Novo Nordisk and Hims & Hers are more strained than ever. Andrew Dudum, CEO of Hims & Hers, shared his discontent with Novo Nordisk’s oversight. He says they deceived the public on how much they were actually working together. He stated that the commercial team at Novo Nordisk increasingly pressured Hims & Hers to control clinical standards and promote Wegovy as the primary treatment option, regardless of its suitability for individual patients.
“We are disappointed to see Novo Nordisk management misleading the public. In recent weeks, Novo Nordisk’s commercial team increasingly pressured us to control clinical standards and steer patients to Wegovy regardless of whether it was clinically best for patients. 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,” – Andrew Dudum
For Dudum, none of this distracted from the fact that Hims & Hers is still focused on delivering patients more effective, more delightful experiences. The platform intends to keep supplying Wegovy by working with telehealth companies that align with the platform’s focus on patient safety. According to Dudum, Hims & Hers will actively oppose companies engaging in illegal compounding practices that could compromise the health of Americans.
In defense of these changes, Dave Moore from Novo Nordisk has stressed the American company’s commitment to patient safety. He said that when patients are prescribed semaglutide treatments by qualified in-person healthcare providers or telehealth licensed providers, they should be getting genuine, FDA-approved Wegovy.
“Novo Nordisk is firm on our position and protecting patients living with obesity. When patients are prescribed semaglutide treatments by their licensed healthcare professional or a telehealth provider, they are entitled to receive authentic, FDA-approved and regulated Wegovy,” – Dave Moore
As a responsible platform, Hims & Hers is dedicated to maintaining the integrity of its platform. It will not trade away that trust in order to maintain a relationship with any pharmaceutical company. Moving forward Dudum assured that Hims & Hers will continue to provide access to more treatments like Wegovy. It is through this commitment that our healthcare providers are able to address the specific needs of every patient.
“We will continue to offer access to a range of treatments, including Wegovy, to ensure providers can serve the individual needs of patients.” – Andrew Dudum
The landscape surrounding new weight loss medications is shifting quickly. As this collaboration’s conclusion is announced, we are reminded that the core issues that have driven the pharmaceutical industry’s misconduct—including patient care, supply chain, and corporate ethics—remain unresolved. It is certain that both companies will continue to recalibrate as they learn to fight under these new rules in this complicated world.
