Sydney Lubkin

The telehealth company HIMSS says that it's launching its own version of the Wegovy pill made by a compounding pharmacy, and the starting dose will be $49, $100 less than Novo Nordisk's cash price for the brand name.

Novo Nordisk launched its obesity pill in early January.

Compounded drugs are made with the same active ingredients as brand name versions, but by specialized pharmacies, not drug companies.

They're not generics and haven't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Traditionally, compounding pharmacies make customized drugs for people who may need them because they're allergic to an ingredient in the brand name version, for example.

Novo Nordisk says it will take legal action against HIMS's copy.

Sydney Lepkin, NPR News.

HIMSS says patients without insurance coverage for Wagovi can bundle the drug dispensed in an injector pen and a HIMSS membership for about $600 a month. That's lower than Wagovi's regular price of more than $1,000 a month. HIMSS raised eyebrows earlier this year with a Super Bowl ad that criticized the weight loss industry, including drug makers.

HIMSS says patients without insurance coverage for Wagovi can bundle the drug dispensed in an injector pen and a HIMSS membership for about $600 a month. That's lower than Wagovi's regular price of more than $1,000 a month. HIMSS raised eyebrows earlier this year with a Super Bowl ad that criticized the weight loss industry, including drug makers.

The ad declared that medications were priced for profits, not patients, as a blue injector pen, the same blue as a Novo Nordisk pen, flashed across the screen. The HIMSS ad touted its compounded weight loss drugs, essentially cheaper copies of brand name drugs. But the Food and Drug Administration has since restricted compounding of Wegovy because it is no longer in short supply.

The ad declared that medications were priced for profits, not patients, as a blue injector pen, the same blue as a Novo Nordisk pen, flashed across the screen. The HIMSS ad touted its compounded weight loss drugs, essentially cheaper copies of brand name drugs. But the Food and Drug Administration has since restricted compounding of Wegovy because it is no longer in short supply.

Sydney Lepkin, NPR News.

Sydney Lepkin, NPR News.

So yes, as cannabis products become more potent and as more Americans consume greater quantities more often, researchers say there are risks to brain function and mental health, which is also true, of course, for alcohol. We're offering information to help cannabis consumers who do choose to partake.

So yes, as cannabis products become more potent and as more Americans consume greater quantities more often, researchers say there are risks to brain function and mental health, which is also true, of course, for alcohol. We're offering information to help cannabis consumers who do choose to partake.

So yes, as cannabis products become more potent and as more Americans consume greater quantities more often, researchers say there are risks to brain function and mental health, which is also true, of course, for alcohol. We're offering information to help cannabis consumers who do choose to partake.

Yeah, regulators are looking to keep out pesticides, mold, bacteria, and heavy metals like arsenic, which can come from the soil. But it's tricky because on the federal level, cannabis is still illegal, and states that legalized it can regulate it very differently.

Yeah, regulators are looking to keep out pesticides, mold, bacteria, and heavy metals like arsenic, which can come from the soil. But it's tricky because on the federal level, cannabis is still illegal, and states that legalized it can regulate it very differently.

Yeah, regulators are looking to keep out pesticides, mold, bacteria, and heavy metals like arsenic, which can come from the soil. But it's tricky because on the federal level, cannabis is still illegal, and states that legalized it can regulate it very differently.

I spoke to Maxwell Lung, an assistant professor at Arizona State University, about a study he did in 2022 about that patchwork of cannabis regulations.