Many Americans seeking popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound turn to telehealth companies like Hims & Hers for cheaper, compounded alternatives.
Those compounded drugs were only supposed to be broadly offered while the popular brand-name drugs were in shortage. The Food and Drug Administration declared the shortage over in 2025, yet telehealth companies still sell compounded versions of the anti-obesity drugs, tailoring the medications to different dosages and often selling them for less than what pharmaceutical companies charge for the brand-name drugs.
Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk recently sued Hims & Hers, an action the telehealth provider called a "blatant attack" on the Americans who rely on compounded weight-loss drugs.
About 1 in 8 Americans take a GLP-1 drug for weight loss, diabetes or other conditions, according to KFF, a health policy nonprofit. And many customers whose insurance plans don't cover the medications struggle to afford these drugs.
Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have cut prices for consumers whose insurance plans don't cover these medications. These cash-paying customers can buy Wegovy or Zepbound from the pharmaceutical companies, telehealth portals, retailers such as Costco and Sam's Club or TrumpRx, the Trump administration's direct-to-consumer drug sales website.
