Hims & Hers Health Inc. (HIMS) experienced a sharp after-hours plunge of 6.09% on Thursday. The decline followed a volatile trading session where the stock initially rallied on news of a new product launch.
The sell-off was triggered after pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk announced plans to pursue legal and regulatory action against Hims & Hers. The legal threat came in response to Hims & Hers launching a cheaper, compounded version of Novo's blockbuster Wegovy weight-loss pill at an introductory price of $49 per month.
Novo Nordisk condemned the move as "illegal mass compounding" that poses significant risks to patient safety, stating that compounded semaglutide is not FDA-approved and may contain impurities. This created immediate market uncertainty about the legality and commercial viability of Hims & Hers' new product offering, prompting investors to sell shares in after-hours trading.