Hims & Hers won’t sell compounded version of Novo’s obesity pill

Hims & Hers said Saturday it will stop selling what it claims to be a cheaper, compounded version of Novo Nordisk’s obesity pill on its telehealth platform, after health officials called for an investigation of the company for potentially violating federal law.

Hims launched the compounded drug earlier this week at $49 month. That prompted immediate backlash from Novo, which had launched the pill, the oral version of its injectable Wegovy treatment, last month at $149 to $299 a month. The mass production of copies of a brand-name drug is typically only allowed when the drug is in shortage. 

Soon after, the Food and Drug Administration said it would take “decisive steps” to thwart companies such as Hims that are mass marketing unapproved, compounded versions of GLP-1 drugs. Then on Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services asked the Department of Justice to investigate Hims.