WeightWatchers to offer compounded version of Wegovy weight-loss drug

Donna Cooper holds up a dosage of Wegovy, a drug used for weight loss, at her home in Front Royal, Va., on March 1, 2024. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades / AP Photo)

WeightWatchers said on Tuesday it would offer a compounded version of Novo Nordisk's popular obesity drug Wegovy as part of its weight-management programs.

Soaring demand for weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound, shown to help patients lose as much as 20 per cent of weight on average, has led to their shortages that allowed drug compounders to produce them under U.S. regulations.

Multiple telehealth companies, including Noom and Hims & Hers Health, offer compounded versions of semaglutide, the chemical name of Novo's Wegovy and its diabetes drug Ozempic, as patients look for alternatives amid their shortage.

Drug compounding refers to the practice of combining, mixing or altering drug ingredients to create a medicine tailored for an individual patient's need, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The company, also known as WW International, said the new offering would start at US$129.

Its shares were up 3.8 per cent in late-morning trading, paring early gains.

"Given the ongoing shortages of branded medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy, WeightWatchers is committed to ensuring our members still have access to effective alternatives," CEO Tara Comonte said in a statement.

Outsourcing Facilities Association, a drug compounding industry group, sued the FDA on Monday over its decision to take Eli Lilly's blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drugs off its list of medicines in short supply last week.

Novo's Wegovy and Ozempic are still on that list.

The compounding group claimed the FDA removed Lilly's tirzepatide, the key ingredient in its drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound, from the list even though it remains in short supply.

Lilly said in August it had begun selling vials of its Zepbound at US$399 for a month's supply through its direct-to-consumer website.

(Reporting by Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)