By Kelly Cloonan

Novo Nordisk accused Hims & Hers of "illegal mass compounding" after the telehealth platform said it would offer a cheaper, compounded version of the Wegovy pill.

Earlier Thursday, Hims & Hers said it would begin offering copies of Wegovy for an introductory price of $49 for the first month with a five-month plan, with the version made from the same active ingredient, semaglutide, as Novo Nordisk's treatment.

Novo said the move from Hims & Hers "poses a significant risk to patient safety." The Danish drugmaker, which sells semaglutide as Ozempic and Rybelsus for type 2 diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss, also said it plans to take legal and regulatory action against Hims & Hers.

Hims & Hers said Novo's claims are false.

"This is not the first time - nor will it be the last time - a big pharma company has suggested taking an accessible, customer-first approach to healthcare is dangerous, illegal, or bad for the marketplace," a Hims & Hers spokesperson said.

Novo started selling its Wegovy pill in the U.S. last month after receiving U.S. regulatory approval two weeks earlier. The pill goes for $149 a month for the starting dose of 1.5 milligrams, and marks the first GLP-1 weight-loss pill to hit the market.

Hims & Hers said the price of its offering would rise to $99 for the remaining months of its plan, if paid upfront.

Novo has previously expressed safety concerns over Hims & Hers's offerings. Less than two months after the companies unveiled what they called a long-term collaboration to directly provide Wegovy to Hims & Hers patients, Novo ended the partnership last June, accusing the telehealth company of illegally selling cheaper copycats of the drug and engaging in deceptive marketing.

Novo said at the time it had concerns about the safety of the knockoff versions, and that Hims & Hers's marketing of such knockoffs put patient safety at risk. Hims & Hers, meanwhile, accused Novo of pressuring it to steer patients to Wegovy regardless of whether it was the best option for patients.

Earlier this week, Novo forecast lower sales this year as it contends with lower prices for weight-loss medicines in the U.S. The company said last year it would lower U.S. cash prices of semaglutide for existing self-pay patients, and also reached a deal with the Trump administration to sell the drugs to Medicare at lower prices.

The company said competition in the obesity market is intense and volatile, but is optimistic about the performance of its Wegovy pill so far.

"We have four weeks of pill data. It's incredibly encouraging," Novo's Chief Executive Maziar Mike Doustdar said during a call with analysts earlier this week.

Write to Kelly Cloonan at kelly.cloonan@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 05, 2026 12:47 ET (17:47 GMT)

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