Traditional medical practices are getting help from newcomers seeking to fill gaps in what health care industry executives described Monday as a lagging health care system.
That includes Hims & Hers, a direct-to-consumer health company that announced Monday it would release a compound version of the weight loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic which starts at $199 per month, 85% less than the branded versions produced by Novo Nordisk. Both are part of a group of so-called GLP-1 drugs that were approved to treat diabetes but have become extremely popular for weight loss.
The move comes as the company focuses on personalization and customer choice in an effort to improve what has traditionally been a “paternalistic” medical system, said Dr. Patrick Carroll, chief medical officer of Hims & Hers, has Fortunefrom Brainstorm Health.
In the past, doctors dictated many aspects of a person’s health, which doesn’t mesh well with the freedom of choice patients expect from their health care today, Dr. Carroll said.
“You’re not going to get past this $4.5 trillion health care boondoggle with traditional models of care,” he said.
Hims & Hers adapts to the modern patient by publishing symptom content that educates people and helps them integrate with the company’s platform. In this way, the company seeks to reach those who use Google or social media as a first resource for medical issues.
“It’s very different than it was 20 or even 10 years ago, but it’s the model of the future,” Carroll said. “People are looking for answers online. »
Although Carroll admitted that the $199 price tag for the company’s new product remains high for some customers, he pointed out that Hims & Hers’ new GLP-1 weight loss drug uses the same active ingredient as the drugs brand, in part thanks to its partnership. with a generic manufacturing company that he did not name.
Hims & Hers’ efforts to market a weight-loss drug reflect increased demand for branded versions offered by Novo Nordisk and other producers like Elie Lilly are scrambling to scale up manufacturing.
Although Wegovy and Ozempic are protected by patents, U.S. regulators allow pharmacies to manufacture the drugs. composed versions of drugs that are in short supply, but the Food and Drug Administration does not test the safety of these domestically manufactured versions of drugs. In January statementThe agency warned against people using compounded forms of weight-loss drugs when FDA-approved versions are available.
Still, compounded versions of weight loss drugs have gained traction among consumers as they provide branded versions. are limited.
