Viagra Company to Offer ‘Budget’ Ozempic Prescriptions That Cost $50 Per Week
Telehealth giant Hims will soon sell its own version of Ozempic, which costs just a quarter of the brand’s price.
Hims, a wellness start-up known for its hair and sex supplements, announced Monday that it will sell a “copycat” of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy.
This is known as compounding, where companies can offer prescription drugs without FDA approval to combat shortages.
Injection costs start at just $199 for a month’s supply, while Ozempic and Wegovy can total more than $1,300. This price also includes unlimited consultations with a doctor.
Hims has not announced when the drug will be available.
Supplement giant Hims will sell its own version of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, for just $199 per month
Hims also specializes in sexual health, hair loss and mental health supplements and medications
Hims said the goal is to help customers access the drugs without “navigating the shortages and costs that currently limit access to the brand-name medications.”
The news comes as several types of drugs, including Ozempic and Wegovy, face record-high shortages.
a recent report For example, from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the University of Utah Drug Information Service found that 323 medications are currently running low, surpassing the record of 320 in 2014.
Andrew Dundum, CEO of Hims, said: ‘It’s going to be a big part of the weight loss category.
‘We believe that compounding can be done very safely, if done correctly.’
The announcement comes after Hims launched a weight loss program in December, including access to oral, non-GLP-1 medications.
Compounded weight loss drugs have become more popular in recent months as Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk and Wegovy manufacturer Eli Lilly have struggled to meet rising demand for the injections.
Although the FDA allows companies to make these types of compounded medications, the FDA does not review their safety or effectiveness.
Mr. Dundum did not say where the new drugs will be made, but noted that it is “one of the largest manufacturers of generic drugs.”
Hims also announced that it will offer compounded versions of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound, in the coming months.
The company also said it will offer the Ozempic and Wevovy brand names once there is sufficient supply.