WeightWatchers to offer compounded GLP-1 weight-loss drugs
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Ozempic injection pens move along a conveyor at a Novo Nordisk factory in Hillerod, Denmark, on Sept. 26, 2023. Photo: Carsten Snejbjerg/Bloomberg via Getty Images
WeightWatchers will begin selling compounded alternatives to certain weight-loss drugs that are experiencing shortages.
Why it matters: Federal law allows companies to sell compounded versions of drugs that are on the FDA's shortages list — which has led to a surge of copycats to the newly popular class of GLP-1 injections.
Driving the news: WeightWatchers said Tuesday that it will sell compounded versions of semaglutide — the key ingredient in Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy.
- It's $129 for the first month, followed by $189 per month after that, plus a non-refundable $49 initial consultation fee.
- The price "includes behavioral and clinical solutions with support from board-certified clinicians, registered dietitians, and the global WeightWatchers community," the company said in a statement.
The impact: WW's shares jumped 29% to $1.02 early Tuesday afternoon.
- The stock traded as low as 67 cents last month, falling nearly 90% since the start of the year.
The intrigue: Tuesday's move comes less than two weeks after the sudden exit of WeightWatchers CEO Sima Sistani, who had led the company to embrace weight-loss drugs and acknowledge that personal responsibility isn't always enough to shed pounds.
- "This launch is the culmination of extensive research and rigorous work by our team to ensure that we are offering the highest quality care — reaffirming the trust we've built over six decades as the leader in weight management," interim CEO Tara Comonte said in a statement.
Yes, but: The FDA last week issued a reminder that "compounded drugs must meet conditions to qualify for exemptions" to be sold to the public.
- And the agency took Eli Lilly's drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro off of its shortages list, leading the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding to warn that "pharmacies must immediately cease preparing and dispensing compounded copies" of those two drugs.
- Zepbound and Mounjaro, which are based on the key ingredient tirzepatide, had been officially designated as in short supply in 2022.
Some compounding pharmacies have also come under scrutiny over the safety of their drugs.
Context: WeightWatchers had already ventured into brand-name weight-loss drugs in 2023 by acquiring telehealth platform Sequence, which connects patients with doctors who can prescribe GLP-1 shots.
The bottom line: Compounded GLP-1 medications may give WeightWatchers a boost, but it's unclear how long it'll last.
