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Novo Nordisk partners with telehealth firms to sell Wegovy

Novo Nordisk is working with telehealth companies to sell a cheaper version of its injectable weight-loss drug Wegovy, launching the partnership after these companies became unable to sell compounded, unapproved versions of its wildly in-demand drug.

© AP

The pharmaceutical company announced it will partner with Hims & Hers, LifeMD and Ro to provide all five dose strengths of Wegovy at a reduced price of $499. The partnership involves Novo Nordisk’s direct-to-consumer, NovoCare® Pharmacy, which launched last month to cater to patients without insurance or have plans that don’t cover obesity drugs.

The announcement expands telehealth firms' portfolio of branded glp-1 drugs to offer at a time when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is prohibiting them from selling and making compounded versions.

Novo is following its competitor Eli Lilly, which last year partnered with telehealth companies to sell its obesity drug Zepbound.

Wegovy and Ozempic, both forms of semaglutide manufactured by Novo Nordisk, were on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) shortage list for more than two years. During this period, telehealth companies began offering compounded versions of semaglutide, which contains the same active ingredient but is not FDA-approved.

When the shortage officially ended in February, pharmacies had only a few weeks to continue providing compounded semaglutide before they would be prohibited from selling the compounded drug.

Through this partnership with Novo Nordisk, patients of these telehealth companies can continue to get semaglutide from the source they’ve been acquiring their prescriptions. The list price for one month’s supply of Wegovy is normally $1,349 without insurance.

CenterWell Pharmacy, owned by Humana Inc., will be fulfilling orders made through Novo Nordisk’s telehealth partners.

"Wegovy® continues to be in high demand as there are 100 million Americans living with obesity. We believe patients living with this chronic disease who want and need treatment under the care of a licensed healthcare professional, including those embracing the growing telehealth community, deserve to get the real thing," Dave Moore, Novo Nordisk’s executive vice president of U.S. operations, said in a statement.

In response to the news Tuesday, the stock prices of Novo Nordisk and Hims & Hers shot up, with the latter stock price rising by nearly $10.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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