Drugs

Telehealth Firm Undercuts Novo GLP-1 Pill Price: Reuters

Telehealth firm Hims and Hers Health is offering compounded GLP-1 weight loss pills for $49 per month for new customers and $99 per month thereafter as part of a five-month plan, some $100 per month under the lowest price charged by innovator firm Novo Nordisk for its Wegovy (semaglutide) pill. In an exclusive report, Reuters says Novo has threatened legal action against Hims and Hers and has called on regulators to control the compounding market that threatens its business.

The news service says the Hims and Hers pricing “makes their GLP-1 drug as affordable as monthly Internet or streaming services in the U.S. It can offer access to treatment for many more of the estimated 200 million Americans who are overweight or obese.”

Reuters says Novo officials told investors that anyone spending $49 for the Hims pills would be wasting their money and that Novo’s pill uses unique technology that aids in its absorption. “Novo Nordisk will take legal and regulatory action to protect patients, our intellectual property, and the integrity of the U.S. gold standard drug approval framework,” a company spokesperson said.

In 2023, Reuters reports, FDA allowed Hims and Hers Health to offer compounded semaglutide injections when the branded product was in short supply. When the supply shortage ended, the company moved to offering compounded personalized copies of the drugs at different dosages or regimens than those available from Novo and other companies. The copies are not FDA-approved and are not subject to strict agency oversight.

In 9/2025, FDA warned Hims about its marketing of compounded semaglutide, saying claims such as “same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy” are misleading since the compounded versions are not FDA-approved.

Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton’s responses on vaccines, contraception and abortion medication during her 9/24 Senate confirmation hearing raise concerns that ideology could influence her decision-making if she takes over the agency, MSNBC senior medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta said Friday. Gupta was particularly critical of Overton’

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton emerged from her Senate confirmation hearing Thursday (see earlier story) without resolving questions about whether she has enough Republican support to advance — and with a rapidly narrowing window for confirmation before the midterm elections. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing provided few

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA has classified Boston Scientific's recall of its Imager II Angiographic Catheters as Class I because a manufacturing problem could cause catheter tips to degrade and detach, potentially resulting in life-threatening complications. The agency announced the Class I classification 9/25, updating an Early Alert it issued

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

FDA has approved Roche’s Gazyva (obinutuzumab) for reducing the risk of relapse in adults and children aged 2 and older with frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent, childhood-onset idiopathic nephrotic syndrome who are in remission. The expanded approval covers the use of the CD20-directed antibody beyond its existing

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Gupta Raises Concerns About Overton’s Independence, Ideology

Overton Confirmation Remains Uncertain After Senate Hearing

FDA Classifies Boston Scientific Imager II Catheter Recall as Class I

FDA Approves Gazyva for Childhood-Onset Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome