Last week, Hims & Hers introduced a compounded version of Novo Nordisk’s oral Wegovy, which had been approved shortly before Christmas and launched in early January. The move led to swift reactions. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary criticized “illegal copycat drugs” in a post on X, though he did not specifically name Hims. In response, Hims announced it would not sell the oral weight loss medication. Novo Nordisk has since filed a lawsuit against Hims & Hers for patent infringement and is seeking potentially hundreds of millions in damages. It was also revealed that the FDA previously issued a warning letter to Hims regarding vermin infestations—including rodents, birds, insects, and a live spider—at one of its facilities.
These developments come as both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly reported their 2025 fourth quarter and full-year earnings last Wednesday. Both companies commented positively on the launch of Novo’s oral Wegovy during their respective calls. However, there were notable differences: Eli Lilly exceeded analyst expectations for Q4 2025 by over a billion dollars, while Novo projected its sales would decline by 5% in 2026.
Other pharmaceutical companies also shared updates during recent earnings calls. AbbVie highlighted robust sales of Skyrizi and Rinvoq and noted ongoing efforts to follow Johnson & Johnson into the psychedelics sector. Biogen discussed anticipation surrounding results from its tau-targeting therapy for Alzheimer’s disease.
In gene therapy news, Sarepta continues to face challenges following patient deaths last year as other Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) competitors approach market entry. Meanwhile, uniQure has paused two arms of its clinical trial for Fabry disease, and Ultragenyx has resubmitted its in vivo gene therapy UX111 for Sanfilippo syndrome type A.
