Hims & Hers (HIMS) Stock Surges After Novo Nordisk (NVO) Wegovy Partnership News

TLDR

• Novo Nordisk and Hims & Hers plan to announce a new partnership as soon as Monday to sell obesity drugs together
• Hims stock surged 39% in after-hours trading on the news
• The deal ends a legal dispute, including a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Novo last month
• Novo previously terminated an earlier agreement with Hims over marketing tactics and compounded drug sales
• The FDA had also threatened action against Hims over its $49 compounded semaglutide copy

Novo Nordisk and Hims & Hers plan to sell obesity drugs together through Hims’ telehealth platform, ending a legal feud that had escalated into a patent lawsuit just weeks ago.

Bloomberg News first reported the deal on Friday, citing a person familiar with the matter. Hims stock jumped 39% in after-hours trading following the report.

Novo Nordisk A/S, NVO

The two companies are expected to make a formal announcement as soon as Monday. Financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.

From Lawsuit to Partnership

The turnaround is striking. Just last month, Novo filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Hims after the telehealth company launched — and then pulled — a $49 compounded version of Novo’s obesity pill.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had also warned it could take action against Hims over the sale of compounded semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic.

That regulatory pressure, combined with the legal challenge from Novo, put Hims in a difficult spot heading into this week.

This isn’t the first time the two companies have tried to work together. Novo ended a previous agreement with Hims last year, citing concerns over Hims’ marketing tactics and its continued sale of copycat Wegovy products.

The new deal represents a second attempt at collaboration, this time apparently on terms both sides can agree to.

What the Deal Means for Both Companies

For Novo, the partnership offers another distribution channel for its branded weight-loss drugs at a time when competition in the obesity drug market is heating up.

Hims did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication.

For Hims, the deal is a clear pivot. The company had been leaning into compounded semaglutide as a low-cost alternative to Novo’s drugs.

That strategy ran into a wall when the FDA declared semaglutide no longer in shortage earlier this year, effectively cutting off the legal basis for compounding pharmacies to keep making it.

Where Things Stand

Hims stock was up 39% in after-hours trading Friday. During regular trading, both NVO and HIMS were in the red — NVO down 1.25% and HIMS down 0.88%.

The formal announcement is expected as soon as Monday, March 9.

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