Telehealth firm Hims & Hers Health said on Monday it plans to bring a generic version of Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug, liraglutide, to its platform in 2025.
“We have already confirmed a core supplier for this addition and over the next few months expect to finish completing test and batch validation, as well as confirming certificates of analysis,” the company said.
Liraglutide, used to treat type 2 diabetes under the brand name Victoza, belongs to the first generation of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists, which curb appetite and help control blood sugar.
It results in less weight loss on average than Novo’s newer in-demand Wegovy, which launched in 2020 and was approved in 2022 for adolescents aged 12 and older.
Hims & Hers currently offers compounded GLP-1 weight-loss injections at $199 per month and weight management oral medication kits at $79 per month.
Soaring demand for weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, which are capable of helping patients lose up to 20 per cent of their weight on average, has led to shortages that allowed drug compounders to produce them under U.S. regulations.
Federal regulations allow compounded versions to be sold to meet demand if a drug is in shortage. Outside of a shortage, compounders cannot make the drugs “regularly or in inordinate amounts.”