Novo Nordisk President and CEO Mike Doustdar joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss the launch of the first GLP-1 weight loss pill in the US, the lawsuit against Hims & Hers and discussions with the Trump administration over drug pricing.
GLP-1 weight loss drugs are now at the center of a heated legal battle, which a leading drug manufacturer warns copycat versions pose a risk to patient safety.
Novo, best known for its blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss treatment Wegovy, has filed a lawsuit against Hims & Hers Health, accusing the telehealth company of selling compounded, unapproved versions of its semaglutide-based medications, including a copycat version of its recently launched daily pill.
Doustdar said the introduction of the oral option broadens access for patients reluctant to use injections, but he sharply criticized what he described as the widespread “mass preparation” of GLP-1 drugs by telehealth companies.
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In this undated photo taken at an undisclosed location, a woman injects a GLP-1 injection into her stomach. (iStock)
“Compounding would be for a few individuals who, let’s say, have allergic reactions to the real drug,” he said. “But this mass composition – it’s quite incredible that it’s gotten to this point.”
He added that Novo has filed multiple lawsuits against compounding companies, arguing that launching a compounded pill version crossed a line.
“I think the nail in the coffin, as they say, was when they completely created a new drug – the pill – a compounded version of it, and basically tried to bring that to market,” he said. “There we felt that enough is enough.”
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A pharmacist shows off a box of Wegovy pills at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah on Thursday, January 15. (George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Hims & Hers fired back at Novo Nordisk in a statement issued to multiple outlets this week, labeling the legal measure as “a blatant attack by a Danish company on millions of Americans who rely on compounded medications for access to personalized care” and accusing “Big Pharma” of “weaponizing the American legal system to limit consumer choice.”
“This lawsuit attacks more than just one drug or company – it directly attacks an established, vital component of American pharmacy practice that has improved patient care for everything from obesity to infertility to cancer,” a company representative said, according to New Jersey business publication NJBIZ.
The company also cited its history of providing “safe access to personalized healthcare to millions of Americans,” adding that it will “continue to fight to deliver choice, affordability and access.”
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The New York Stock Exchange with a Hims & Hers Health, Inc. banner. is pictured as a person runs by in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York on January 21, 2021 (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)
Patients seeking GLP-1 therapy for conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome have been seeking compounded alternatives for some time after facing insurance roadblocks that challenged the cost of brand-name medications.
Doustdar said Novo’s recent cost cuts have eliminated the need for copycat drugs because of what he described as price similarities between branded and compounded versions.
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However, when Hims & Hers briefly launched its compounded oral semaglutide, it was marketed at about $49 per month as an introductory price and then about $99 per month, lower than Novo’s. FDA approved oral Wegovy, which launched for about $149 per month and can cost up to $299 at higher doses under self-pay pricing.
Hims & Hers later pulled the oral compounded medication from its platform after legal threats from Novo and scrutiny from federal regulators.
