Novo Nordisk has bounced back from a sour ending to its Hims & Hers partnership, revealing a new deal with WeightWatchers to expand access to its blockbuster weight loss drug Wegovy (semaglutide).
The collaboration, set to begin on 1 July, will see Novo Nordisk team up with the telehealth company to offer Wegovy to customers. WeightWatchers will work with CenterWell Pharmacy to dispense, manage prescriptions, and mediate delivery for Wegovy. The drug itself will be sent out from NovoCare, Novo Nordisk’s newly launched online pharmacy.
In yet another price adjustment made by the Danish drugmaker, Wegovy will be offered for $299 for uninsured or self-paying patients who have not used NovoCare to access the drug previously. After the first month, this will rise to $499.
The price for a month’s supply of 2.4mg Wegovy – the drug’s highest dose – is $1,350 in the US. In March 2025, Novo Nordisk discounted the cost of all doses to $499 per month to competitively price its prized asset against cheaper compounded alternatives. A separate limited-time offer of $199 is also available until 30 June.
Compounded semaglutide is a personalised weight loss medicine, which is chemically identical to branded alternatives. The FDA allows the production of these drugs if there are shortages of the brand equivalent.
During the Wegovy shortage, telehealth companies offering these significantly cheaper options proliferated. However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set deadlines for compounded production to end after Novo Nordisk bolstered its Wegovy supply chains and increased the drug’s availability.
Novo Nordisk has filed nearly 120 lawsuits against entities selling “knockoff” versions of its drug, though its partnership with Hims & Hers last month marked a change in tactics. Hims & Hers, which made a name for itself with a controversial Super Bowl ad, has been one of the most successful telehealth platforms selling compounded semaglutide. Novo Nordisk teamed up with the company in a bid to broaden access to Wegovy and get patients back onto the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved product.
The short-lived partnership ended earlier this week, with Novo claiming that Hims & Hers was failing to adhere to the law and illegally selling compounded medication. The drugmaker terminated the agreement effective immediately on 24 June.
Now, Novo Nordisk has identified Weight Watchers to step into that gap, despite filing for bankruptcy in May. The telehealth company joins Ro and LifeMD, who are already collaborating with Novo Nordisk. WeightWatchers originally found success in its diet offerings, though it shifted its brand towards weight loss drugs after financial pressure caused by brands such as Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro (tirzepatide).
In a statement, the drugmaker said: “Novo Nordisk continues to build on existing efforts and identify new options that help all patients, regardless of where they choose to access authentic, FDA-approved Wegovy as part of our relentless focus on patient safety.”
by Robert Barrie
Source: pharmaceutical-technology.com
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