Novo Nordisk said Thursday it would take legal action against a US chain offering a copycat of the new pill version of its Wegovy weight-loss drug.
The Danish company only began selling Wegovy in pill form last month after having received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, but the telehealth company Hims & Hers has begun advertising cheaper versions.
“This is another example of Hims & Hers’ historic behaviour of duping the American public with knock-off GLP-1 products,” said Novo Nordisk in a statement, referring to the hormone in Wegovy that regulates blood glucose levels and appetite.
“Novo Nordisk will take legal and regulatory action to protect patients, our intellectual property and the integrity of the US gold-standard drug approval framework,” it added.
Limited production capacity for the blockbuster drug led the FDA to temporarily allow pharmacies to create so-called “compound” or copycat versions of Wegovy and Ozempic, an analogue used to treat diabetes.
That authorisation expired last May 22 but Novo Nordisk has complained of copycat versions of its drugs still being available.
Shares in Novo Nordisk have taken a beating this week after it warned of lower sales revenue in the United States as intensified competition pushes down prices.
