Hims to offer copies of Wegovy pill at $49 a month for starting dose, Novo threatens legal action

Hims & Hers will offer copies of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill at $49 for a starting dose, the company announced Thursday, a sign that the telehealth giant is doubling down on copycat versions of blockbuster weight-loss drugs over forging partnerships with Big Pharma like its peers.

Hims’ product is $100 less than the initial price consumers would pay if buying directly from Novo. For a five-month subscription, patients pay $49 for the first month’s starting dose, then $99 per month, versus the $199 Novo charges.

The news was first reported by Reuters. Hims rose more than 10% in early trading after falling for several days in a row. Novo, which has already fallen about 20% since giving a gloomy sales guidance on Tuesday, fell further. Eli Lilly, Novo’s top competitor, which said yesterday that it expects sales to boom in 2026, fell in Thursday trading.

Hims’ announcement came right before Novo was scheduled to have a call with analysts. “You’re wasting $49 in my opinion,” Novo CEO Mike Doustdar said in that call.

Novo has a patent on its delivery method for its Wegovy pill, which protects the active ingredient in the pill during digestion. In its announcement, Hims said its compounded pill “is formulated to protect the active ingredient during digestion and to support absorption,” but did not specify how.

In a statement, Novo accused Hims of “illegal mass compounding that poses a significant risk to patient safety” and said it “will take legal and regulatory action to protect patients, our intellectual property and the integrity of the US gold-standard drug approval framework.”

“This is another example of Hims & Hers’ historic behaviour of duping the American public with knock-off GLP-1 products, and the FDA has previously warned them about their deceptive advertising of GLP-1 knock-offs,” a spokesperson said.

The announcement comes after the two companies had an epic falling-out last year. 

Hims and other telehealth companies began selling copies of Novo’s injectable weight-loss drug in 2024 while it was in a shortage. Even after the shortage ended, Hims continued to sell copies it says are “personalized” for patients. Novo has expressed frustration that regulators have not cracked down on this legal loophole, and it has sued smaller players doing this, though not Hims.

In June, Novo abruptly ended its short-lived deal to offer its weight-loss shot on Hims and accused the company of “illegal mass compounding and deceptive marketing.” The drugmaker reportedly expected Hims to stop selling copycat versions if it were to carry the FDA-approved, brand-name product. 

Hims CEO Andrew Dudum told analysts on its most recent earnings call in November that it was again in talks with Novo to potentially reforge a deal. That looks increasingly unlikely after today’s announcement. 

Novo’s Wegovy pill is the first oral GLP-1 for weight loss to come to market. The drugmaker has been pushing its Wegovy pill through Hims’ competitors, and early signs show uptake is strong and predominantly coming from people who have never taken a GLP-1 before versus those switching from injections. 

Despite this, the company said on Tuesday that it expects sales to take a hit from growing competition from other drugmakers. Its top rival, Eli Lilly, is expected to release its own GLP-1 pill in April.