Hims & Hers Health and Novo Nordisk end lawsuit over weight loss
medications, enter collaboration
[March 10, 2026]
By MICHELLE CHAPMAN
Novo Nordisk is dismissing its patent infringement lawsuit against
telehealth company Hims & Hers, as the two companies have reached an
agreement that will see Novo Nordisk’s branded weight loss medicines
sold through the Hims platform.
Early last month Hims & Hers said that it was going to launch a cheaper,
off-brand version of the weight-loss pill Wegovy, just weeks after
drugmaker Novo Nordisk launched its highly anticipated reformulation of
the blockbuster medication. At the time, Novo Nordisk vowed to sue Hims,
calling the new product “an unapproved, inauthentic, and untested
knockoff” of semaglutide, the chemical name for Wegovy.
But just two days later, Hims dropped its plan to offer the cheaper,
off-brand version of Wegovy. That move came a day after the Food and
Drug Administration threatened to restrict access to the ingredients
needed to copy popular weight-loss medications.
The FDA permits specialty pharmacies and other companies to make
compounded versions of brand name drugs when they are in short supply.
And the booming demand for GLP-1 drugs in recent years prompted
companies like Hims to jump into the multibillion-dollar market for the
drugs, with many patients willing to pay cash.
In 2024, the FDA said that GLP-1 drugs were no longer in a shortage,
which was expected to put an end to the compounding. But companies like
Hims relied on an exception to keep selling their versions of the
medications because the practice is still permitted when a prescription
is customized for the patient.
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This April 3, 2018 file photo shows a closeup of a beam scale in New
York. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)
 As part of the deal the two
companies reached that was announced on Monday, Hims will offer oral
and injectable versions of Wegovy and Ozempic on its platform later
this month. Hims will also stop advertising compounded GLP-1 drugs
on its platform or in its marketing.
Novo Nordisk said in a statement that it is reserving the right to
refile its lawsuit in the future.
Shares of Hims & Hers Health Inc. jumped more than 36% in Monday
morning trading. Despite the bump, shares are still well off their
52-week high of about $70. U.S.-listed shares of Novo Nordisk rose
1.8%.
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