Telehealth Giant Hims Partners with Novo Nordisk After Dropping Legal Battle

Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has withdrawn its patent lawsuit against telehealth firm Hims & Hers after the companies struck a partnership deal. The agreement will allow Hims to sell authentic Wegovy and Ozempic weight loss medications through its platform while ending its promotion of cheaper copycat versions.

Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has dropped its patent violation case against telehealth provider Hims & Hers after both companies struck a partnership agreement that will bring authentic weight loss medications to the Hims online platform.

The legal dispute began last month when Hims & Hers announced plans to introduce a lower-cost generic alternative to the popular weight loss drug Wegovy, coming just weeks after Novo Nordisk released its much-awaited updated version of the bestselling medication. Novo Nordisk immediately threatened legal action, describing the proposed product as “an unapproved, inauthentic, and untested knockoff” of semaglutide, Wegovy’s active ingredient.

However, Hims abandoned its generic drug plans within 48 hours. The reversal occurred one day after federal regulators at the Food and Drug Administration warned they would limit access to the raw materials companies use to create imitation weight loss treatments.

Federal regulations allow specialized pharmacies and similar businesses to produce copied versions of brand-name medications during supply shortages. The explosive popularity of GLP-1 medications in recent years led companies including Hims to enter the multi-billion dollar drug market, with numerous patients paying out-of-pocket for treatments.

In 2024, the FDA declared that GLP-1 medications were no longer experiencing shortages, a decision anticipated to halt the copying practice. However, businesses like Hims continued operating under a regulatory loophole that permits the practice when prescriptions are tailored to individual patients.

Under the partnership agreement announced Monday, Hims will begin offering both pill and injection forms of Wegovy and Ozempic through its website later this month. The company has also committed to ending all advertising of copied GLP-1 medications across its platform and marketing campaigns.

Novo Nordisk indicated in a public statement that it maintains the option to restart legal proceedings at a future date.

Stock prices for Hims & Hers Health Inc. surged over 36% during Monday morning market activity. Even with this increase, shares remain significantly below their yearly peak of approximately $70. American-traded Novo Nordisk shares climbed 1.8%.