Hims & Hers, Novo Nordisk Reunite in GLP-1 Deal Weeks After Lawsuit

Shares of Hims & Hers surged after the company announced it was partnering — again — with the pharma giant, ending the sides’ spat over weight-loss drugs

In the weight loss drug wars, Monday brought a ceasefire and a new alliance.

Hims & Hers announced a partnership with Novo Nordisk to bring FDA-approved versions of Wegovy and Ozempic to its platform, a deal that comes weeks after the Danish pharmaceutical giant sued the telehealth company for patent infringement.

As part of the agreement, Novo Nordisk is dismissing its lawsuit against Hims & Hers without prejudice.
Shares of Hims jumped as much as 54% on Monday following the deal.

The companies said Ozempic injections and Wegovy pills and injections will be available on the Hims platform later this month. 

Hims will stop advertising compounded GLP-1 offerings and will transition existing patients to FDA-approved medications when providers determine it is clinically appropriate. Compounded GLP-1s, however, will remain available for a limited number of patients whose needs cannot be met by branded alternatives, the company said.

The announcement marks a sharp reversal for Hims. In early February, the telehealth leader launched a compounded oral semaglutide pill priced at $49 — a needle-free alternative to injectable GLP-1 medication. The product was then quickly pulled after the Food and Drug Administration said it would move to restrict the active pharmaceutical ingredients used in non-FDA-approved compounded drugs, naming Hims & Hers explicitly. 

Days later, Novo sued, accusing Hims of marketing “unapproved knock-off versions” of its blockbuster weight loss drugs. Hims called the lawsuit a “blatant attack” on Americans who depend on compounded medications for their low cost.

It’s not the first time the two companies have tried to work together. 

Last year, Novo struck a deal to distribute injectable Wegovy through the Hims platform. The partnership quickly collapsed after Novo accused Hims of continuing to sell compounded versions at scale using ingredients sourced from suppliers the FDA had not inspected, a claim which Hims called misleading.

During its split with Hims, Novo deepened ties with WeightWatchers, which has partially staked its comeback by offering only FDA-approved medications.

“We see tremendous growth opportunities in the U.S. with the expanding assortment of branded GLP-1 medications,” Hims & Hers co-founder and CEO Andrew Dudum said. “This collaboration reflects what’s possible globally when drugmakers, biotech companies and diagnostic leaders partner with consumer platforms to support scaled distribution of their latest medical innovations.”

The agreement comes on the heels of Hims announcing a $1.15 billion deal to acquire Eucalyptus, an Australian digital health platform with operations in the U.K., Germany, Japan and Canada. The deal is expected to close mid-year and expands on Hims’ global vision. 

Last year, the telehealth company also acquired Zava, a European digital health platform with more than a million active users, marking its entry into Germany, France and Ireland. 

Eucalyptus operates several consumer health brands, including Pilot, a men’s health platform, and Juniper, focused on women’s weight loss and menopause, and has served more than 775,000 customers globally.

With Novo Nordkisk and Hims having patched things up, there’s another sign that the race to control GLP-1 distribution is widening well beyond the telehealth wars and into the American workplace. Novo Nordisk competitor Eli Lilly just launched its own employer-facing platform, offering its FDA-approved weight loss drug, Zepbound, at $449 per dose.