Novo Nordisk enlists Hims & Hers, LifeMD and Ro to sell Wegovy through NovoCare Pharmacy

Novo Nordisk announced on April 29, 2025 that Hims & Hers, LifeMD and Ro would begin selling brand-name Wegovy through NovoCare Pharmacy, the drugmaker's direct-to-patient program ^[1][2]. All three telehealth companies had been dispensing compounded copies of obesity medicines, a practice Novo has opposed in public statements and in court ^[2].

Every strength of the weekly injection is included — 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg — with CenterWell Pharmacy handling delivery to patients' homes ^[1]. The listed cash price is $499 a month for people who are uninsured or who carry commercial coverage that excludes obesity drugs ^[1]. LifeMD and Ro quote that same $499 figure, while Hims & Hers sells a bundle that starts at $599 a month and adds a membership with round-the-clock care, clinical support and nutrition guidance ^[1][2].

"We believe patients living with this chronic disease who want and need treatment under the care of a licensed health care professional, including those embracing the growing telehealth community, deserve to get the real thing," said Dave Moore, Novo's executive vice president for U.S. operations and president of Novo Nordisk Inc. ^[1]. Zach Reitano, co-founder and CEO of Ro, said adding an FDA-approved treatment "at the best available cash price" would help more patients get obesity care, particularly those without insurance ^[1]. Andrew Dudum, CEO and founder of Hims & Hers, described the collaboration as "the first step" toward a shared vision of consumer-centered health care ^[1].

The announcement came four days after a federal judge in Texas declined to block the FDA's finding that Wegovy was no longer in short supply ^[2]. While semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and the diabetes drug Ozempic, remained scarce, compounding pharmacies could make and distribute copycat versions ^[2]. Novo opened NovoCare Pharmacy in March 2025 to sell the drug directly to self-paying patients ^[2][3].

The move tracks steps taken by Eli Lilly, which built a direct-to-consumer channel for its rival obesity medicine Zepbound and struck its own telehealth agreements with LifeMD and Ro ^[2]. In a head-to-head trial, Zepbound produced greater weight loss than Wegovy ^[2]. Wegovy remains the only obesity drug shown to prevent cardiovascular complications and death, which opened the door to limited Medicare coverage ^[2]. On the day of the announcement, Novo shares rose 4%, Hims & Hers gained more than 20% and LifeMD climbed nearly 30% ^[2].

The Hims & Hers agreement did not hold. About eight weeks later, Novo terminated the partnership, saying Hims had engaged in "deceptive promotion and selling of illegitimate, knockoff versions of Wegovy that put patient safety at risk," and had failed to follow a law barring mass sales of compounded drugs sold under the label of "personalization" ^[4]. Dudum responded that Novo's management was "misleading the public" and that Novo's commercial team had pressured Hims to steer patients toward Wegovy regardless of what was clinically best for them ^[4]. Hims & Hers stock fell 35% that day ^[4]. Novo continues to work with LifeMD and Ro, and Hims kept offering compounded semaglutide after the April deal ^[4]. Truist Securities analysts estimated that personalized compounding accounted for roughly two-thirds of the $389 million in weight-loss sales they expected Hims to book in the second half of 2025 ^[4].

Why it matters for patients

People who pay cash on a telehealth platform now have a published monthly price for FDA-approved Wegovy: $499 at LifeMD and Ro, and $599 at Hims & Hers ^[1][2]. Eligibility is limited to patients who are uninsured or whose commercial plan does not cover obesity medicines, so the figure does not set what most insured patients pay at a pharmacy counter ^[1]. Compounded semaglutide is not FDA-approved, and Novo has argued patients should receive the branded product instead ^[1]. Wegovy is approved for weight loss and long-term weight maintenance in adults and children 12 and older with obesity, and in adults who are overweight with at least one weight-related condition, and to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with established heart disease plus obesity or overweight ^[1]. The telehealth companies describe their programs as including clinical support from licensed professionals, and whether a prescription results remains a clinical decision ^[1]. Separately, a major trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine on April 30 reported that Wegovy reduced liver inflammation in 63% of patients with the liver disease MASH, compared with 34.3% on placebo, and improved liver fibrosis in 37% versus 22.4% ^[3].

What happens next

CVS Caremark, the largest pharmacy benefit manager in the country, chose Wegovy as the preferred GLP-1 medicine on its biggest commercial template formularies, effective July 1, 2025 ^[3]. Novo has asked the FDA to approve an oral form of semaglutide for obesity, and Eli Lilly is close behind with its own pill ^[2]. None of the announcements said whether the cash prices on these platforms will change ^[1][2].