Novo Nordisk has reached a cooperation agreement with the American telehealth company Hims &amp; Hers Health, ending months of patent disputes.
According to Bloomberg, Novo Nordisk announced on Monday that it will sell its star products Ozempic and Wegovy to American consumers through the Hims platform, including the popular Wegovy oral tablets, and will simultaneously withdraw the patent infringement lawsuit filed last month. In exchange, Hims has committed to stop promoting its generic GLP-1 drugs and will only continue to provide compounded formulations when deemed clinically necessary by doctors.
Following the announcement, Hims' stock price surged over 49% during trading, marking the largest single-day increase in its history; Novo Nordisk's stock in Copenhagen also rose over 2%.
Marty Makary, the director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), referred to this agreement as &#34;a victory for the American people&#34; on social media platform X, congratulating both parties on their cooperation while emphasizing that Hims will stop promoting unapproved compounded drugs and will limit the use of generic GLP-1 drugs to specific circumstances that comply with FDA regulations.
<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/fc40eae7-c4de-4acf-9fdb-21564283d833.png?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" alt="" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://wpimg-wscn.awtmt.com/fc40eae7-c4de-4acf-9fdb-21564283d833.png"/>
<h2>From Litigation to Handshake: Core Terms of the Cooperation Agreement</h2>
Under the agreement, the Hims platform will offer Ozempic and Wegovy injections and Wegovy oral tablets to American consumers at Novo Nordisk's self-pay prices. Novo Nordisk had previously significantly reduced the monthly cost of the weight loss drug from about $1,000 to a range of $149 to $299.
Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar stated that pricing is the core of this cooperation, &#34;The price of the genuine medication is now very close to that of compounded formulations.&#34; He revealed that over 600,000 prescriptions have been generated for Wegovy oral tablets in just two months since their launch, and the collaboration with the telehealth platform is accelerating its popularity.
Hims will gradually remove external marketing for compounded weight loss products in the coming weeks and provide patients with new product options. Hims CEO Andrew Dudum stated that this cooperation reflects the company's strategic shift in the U.S. weight loss business from compounded GLP-1 drugs to FDA-approved branded products, &#34;This is the direction we see for business growth.&#34;
Novo Nordisk stated that while it withdraws the lawsuit, it reserves the right to refile.
<h2>Origins of the Dispute: Nine Months of Opposition and Legal Disputes</h2>
This cooperation is not the first attempt between Novo Nordisk and Hims. According to Bloomberg, the two parties had previously reached an agreement, but Novo Nordisk unilaterally terminated the agreement in June last year, citing Hims' use of &#34;deceptive marketing&#34; and accusing it of failing to effectively curtail the large-scale promotion of generic weight loss drugs.
Hims immediately countered, claiming that Novo Nordisk's statements were misleading. Dudum stated at the time that &#34;there is absolutely no way to compromise on this matter,&#34; and accused the other party of making &#34;very inappropriate&#34; demands. The breakdown of the cooperation put pressure on Hims' stock price and cast a shadow over the prospects of its weight loss drug business
In February of this year, Novo Nordisk filed a lawsuit against Hims for launching a generic version of Wegovy oral tablets. Even though Hims quickly removed the product under regulatory pressure, the lawsuit was not withdrawn. In the same month, the FDA announced it would take strong measures against companies that massively promote illegal generics, with Hims specifically named.
<h2>Regulatory Pressure as a Key Background for the Settlement</h2>
This settlement comes at a time when the regulatory environment is clearly tightening. A week before the agreement was reached, the FDA issued warnings to 30 internet healthcare companies, indicating that they were making misleading claims about GLP-1 combination drugs, with some companies conflating combination products with approved medications.
According to Bloomberg, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services referred Hims to the Department of Justice in February, initiating an investigation based on relevant criminal provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Hims disclosed in its annual report last month that it had received a letter from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requesting the preservation of documents and information related to statements and business relationships concerning Novo Nordisk's combination drugs.
<h2>Market Competition: Novo Nordisk's Dual Pressure</h2>
This collaboration reflects Novo Nordisk's dual predicament in the U.S. market. On one hand, competition for market share with Eli Lilly's weight loss drugs is becoming increasingly fierce, with Novo Nordisk's stock price having fallen approximately 23% this year; on the other hand, internet healthcare companies represented by Hims are continuously encroaching on its market by selling low-cost combination formulations.
The Hims platform has over 2.5 million subscribers and is one of dozens of internet healthcare companies that have aggressively entered the combination drug market during Novo Nordisk's supply shortages for weight loss injections. After the supply shortages ended, these companies were supposed to stop selling precise generics, but some adjusted dosages or added ingredients, allowing their products to be legally recognized as distinct from brand-name drugs and continue to be sold.
Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar personally participated in the negotiations. He stated that having learned from the previous collaboration breakdown, both parties invested more time in the details, &#34;everyone has become more mature.&#34;

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Novo Nordisk and Hims & Hers have reached a cooperation agreement, ending a months-long patent dispute. According to the agreement, the Hims platform will sell Ozempic and Wegovy oral tablets and cease the promotion of generic GLP-1 drugs. This settlement comes as the regulatory environment tightens, with the FDA previously warning internet healthcare companies about misleading advertising of compounded drugs, and Hims is also facing a Department of Justice investigation. The two parties had previously seen their collaboration break down in June last year and entered into patent litigation in February this year

- Novo Nordisk has reached a partnership agreement with Hims & Hers Health, resolving a prolonged patent dispute.  
- This collaboration allows Hims to sell Novo's products, Ozempic and Wegovy, through its platform while Hims commits to halting the promotion of its generic GLP-1 drugs.  
- The agreement reflects a shift in Hims's strategy towards FDA-approved medications and aims to enhance the accessibility of these weight loss products amid increasing regulatory scrutiny.

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Handshake and reconciliation! Novo Nordisk withdraws lawsuit, Wegovy officially launches on the Hims & Hers platform