Telehealth companies and compounding pharmacies that are continuing to make copycat versions of Novo Nordisk’s highly popular obesity drug Wegovy “should be very, very much on notice,” the company’s chief counsel says.
The comments by Novo’s John Kuckelman, made in an interview with STAT on Monday, came shortly after the company filed a lawsuit against Hims & Hers. Novo alleges the telehealth company is infringing on its patent for semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and the sister diabetes drug, Ozempic.
Over the past few years, compounding pharmacies raced to make copycat GLP-1s when the brand-name drugs were in shortage, as they’re legally allowed to do so. But when the drugs were no longer in shortage last year, companies like Hims continued to market compounded products, claiming they were making “personalized” versions.Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…