Key takeaways:
- Novo Nordisk alleges that Hims & Hers Well being has engaged in unlawful drug compounding and misleading advertising.
- Hims & Hers CEO Andrew Dudum stated that Novo Nordisk has been making an attempt to “strong-arm” the corporate.
Novo Nordisk has minimize ties with Hims & Hers Well being, alleging that the latter firm has engaged in misleading advertising techniques and unlawful compounding, risking affected person security.
Novo Nordisk started collaborating with telehealth corporations in late April, after the FDA had declared that there was not a scarcity of Wegovy (semaglutide, Novo Nordisk), in a bid to help sufferers’ transitions from knockoff, compounded variations of Wegovy to the FDA-approved, genuine product, in accordance with a press launch from Novo Nordisk. The scarcity beforehand opened the door for GLP-1 dupes to flood the market.
Novo Nordisk has minimize ties with Hims & Hers Well being, alleging that the latter firm has engaged in unlawful techniques that danger affected person security. Picture: Adobe Inventory
Greater than a month because the collaboration started, Hims & Hers has “failed to stick to the legislation which prohibits mass gross sales of compounded medicine below the false guise of ‘personalization’ and are disseminating misleading advertising that put affected person security in danger,” in accordance with the discharge.
An investigation from Novo Nordisk revealed that the energetic semaglutide elements in knock-off medicine are manufactured in China. Generally, the FDA has by no means permitted these suppliers’ manufacturing processes, high quality of the product or laboratory situations, in accordance with the discharge.
“Novo Nordisk is deeply involved and is continuous to take proactive measures to maintain U.S. sufferers protected from knock-off medicine made with international illicit energetic pharmaceutical elements,” in accordance with the discharge. “U.S. sufferers shouldn’t be uncovered to knock-off medicine made with unsafe and illicit international elements.”
Novo Nordisk’s pharmacy, NovoCare, will not permit Hims & Hers direct entry to Wegovy. Nevertheless, the corporate will proceed to make the product accessible “to pick telehealth organizations that share our dedication to protected and efficient medical therapy for sufferers dwelling with power illnesses,” in accordance with the discharge.
“Novo Nordisk is agency on our place and defending sufferers dwelling with weight problems. When sufferers are prescribed semaglutide remedies by their licensed well being care skilled or a telehealth supplier, they’re entitled to obtain genuine, FDA-approved and controlled Wegovy,” Dave Moore, government vp of U.S. Operations for Novo Nordisk, stated within the launch. “We’ll work with telehealth corporations to supply direct entry to Wegovy that share our dedication to affected person security — and when corporations have interaction in unlawful sham compounding that jeopardizes the well being of People, we’ll proceed to take motion.”
Andrew Dudum, founder and CEO of Hims & Hers, posted a response assertion on X that stated he was “disillusioned to see Novo Nordisk administration deceptive the general public.”
“In latest weeks, Novo Nordisk’s business crew more and more pressured us to regulate medical requirements and steer sufferers to Wegovy no matter whether or not it was clinically finest for sufferers. We refuse to be strong-armed by any pharmaceutical firm’s anticompetitive calls for that infringe on the impartial choice making of suppliers and restrict affected person selection,” Dudum stated within the assertion. “We take our function of defending the power of suppliers and sufferers to regulate particular person therapy choices extraordinarily severely, and won’t compromise the integrity of our platform to appease a 3rd occasion or protect a collaboration.
“The well being and wellness of people at all times comes first,” he continued. “We’ll proceed to supply entry to a variety of remedies, together with Wegovy, to make sure suppliers can serve the person wants of sufferers.”
Editor’s notice: It is a creating information story. Please examine again quickly for extra particulars.
