The twisted relationship of Hims and Novo Nordisk took another sharp turn this week. Novo withdrew its patent infringement lawsuit against Hims & Hers – barely a month after filing the suit. The company is now crowing about selling its Ozempic and Wegovy products through “leading telehealth providers” like Hims. But they “reserve the right to refile” their lawsuit in the future.

Hims & Hers will back off from promoting compounded semaglutide. The company says it’s shifting its business model to emphasize “access to a broad assortment of FDA-approved medications and offer compounded semaglutide through the platform on a limited scale.”

Make no mistake. This is all about the money. Novo is struggling to insulate itself from pricing pressure that mass compounding fuels. They have a point, though, when they say that mass marketing of compounded GLP-1s is illegal. FDA takes the same position.

The Twisted History

The relationship between Hims and Novo Nordisk has a very twisted history.

A long-running shortage of Ozempic and Wegovy opened the door to a lucrative business opportunity for Hims in 2023 with compounded semaglutide. Business boomed. But when the supply was adequate to end the shortage in February 2025, mass compounding became illegal. So in April of that year, Novo announced it would start selling their products through telehealth platforms, including Hims.

It only took two months for the relationship to sour and Novo terminated it. Accusations of “deceptive” marketing and illegal approaches to compounding flew. Bad blood. Novo was on the warpath. They took it up a notch when Hims announced in February that the company would sell a knockoff of the new Wegovy tablets. FDA weighed in, Novo Nordisk filed their patent infringement lawsuit, and Hims quickly backed off.

All About the Money

Novo offers lofty rhetoric about “a meaningful win for patients” and “expanding access.” Hims talks about working with Novo “to create a new model that works for everyday people.” But no one is fooled. “They need each other” for business reasons more than they hate each other, say industry observers. Novo needs relief from patent infringement and pricing pressure. It needs to reach more patients with its medicines. Hims needs to plump up its stock price.

What is clearly surging is the business of telehealth as a tool to reach more patients that traditional clinics don’t or can’t reach. But as it surges, marketing and business practices that exploit patients are drawing attention. The unmet need is great, but so are the risks of exploitation.

A bit of caution would be wise. The relevant question is always: Are we putting health first?

Click here, here, and here for more on this latest twist between Novo Nordisk and Hims & Hers. For more on the regulatory scrutiny of the GLP-1 telehealth business, click here.

Love Hate Love, photograph by Tony Webster, licensed under CC BY 2.0