GLP-1 TV · News & media · views checked Oct 2026
Semaglutide Wars: Novo Sues Hims over Patent Infringement
News & media
Our summary
The host of On The Pen says a lot happened in the three days before this February 9, 2026 live stream. He recaps the Most Favored Nations announcement, the launch of the Trump Rx website, and the same-day Hims & Hers launch of its own semaglutide pill. He says an FDA statement the next day targeted compounded active ingredients and Hims & Hers marketing. He then reports a letter dated February 5, first reported by Bloomberg, in which the FDA called a Novo Nordisk Wegovy pill TV ad false or misleading. In his view, this suggests the FDA's actions were more even-handed than they first looked and were a response to the pill launches.
General education as published by the channel. Not medical advice, and not an endorsement.
Where semaglutide pill costs least today
The three cheapest partner programs for semaglutide pill, all in per month, checked weekly. Brand Wegovy pill and compounded versions are different products; each row says which it is.
What else the video covers
The main news is that Novo Nordisk filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Hims & Hers that day. He says it is the first suit of its kind, since the hundreds of earlier suits against compounders concerned advertising and trademarks. He argues that Hims & Hers wanted this fight and that Novo Nordisk did not, because it would have to defend patent protection for a peptide. He says he takes no side, and he cautions that both pharma and compounding exist for profit. He also says compounders are not drug innovators and that pharma is needed for new medications.
The rest is chat Q&A. He criticizes pharmacy benefit managers and argues that direct cash pay programs such as Lilly Direct and NovoCare exist because of compounding pressure. He says lawsuits take years, so he expects no overnight change to compounding. He also says the Zepbound quick pen will launch through Lilly Direct within a couple of weeks. This is a news and opinion program, not medical advice.
Our summary of what is said, in our words. Doses, results and prices are the speaker’s, not advice.
Takeaways
The main points, in the order they come up. Tap a time to play from there.
- 1:36 He recaps the Most Favored Nations announcement, the Trump Rx launch and the Hims & Hers semaglutide pill launched the same day, followed by an FDA statement on compounded ingredients and marketing.
- 5:17 He reports a February 5 FDA letter, first reported by Bloomberg, calling a Novo Nordisk Wegovy pill TV ad false or misleading, and says this makes the FDA's compounding statement look more even-handed.
- 16:04 He says Novo Nordisk filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Hims & Hers, the first of its kind, unlike earlier suits that centered on advertising.
- 20:11 He argues Hims & Hers wanted this fight and Novo Nordisk did not, because Novo would have to defend its patent on the semaglutide peptide in court.
- 38:38 He explains how he sees pharmacy benefit managers, and says direct cash pay programs like Lilly Direct and NovoCare exist partly because of compounding competition.
- 56:39 He says lawsuits take years, expects no overnight changes to compounding, and says the Zepbound quick pen will launch through Lilly Direct within a couple of weeks.
Key moments
From the creator's own chapters. Tap one to play from there.
What the video says
As stated in the video, not checked by us. Doses and results are the speaker’s, not advice.
- Medication
- Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and semaglutide
- Doses mentioned
- 2.4 mg
- Side effects mentioned
- fatigue
- Prices mentioned
- $10,000 a month and $200 a month
- Who is speaking
- News or media
Questions this video answers
Why did Novo Nordisk sue Hims & Hers?
According to the host, Novo Nordisk filed a patent infringement lawsuit over semaglutide, the molecule itself. He says it is the first suit of its kind, because earlier cases against compounders were about advertising and trademarks. He believes Hims & Hers deliberately provoked it.
Will compounded semaglutide go away because of the Novo Nordisk lawsuit?
The host says he does not expect changes overnight, since these lawsuits take years to finish. He says the biggest way compounding could go away is if Novo Nordisk won its patent case. He also notes that the law allows compounding when a doctor decides a branded drug does not meet a patient's medical need.
How will the Zepbound quick pen be sold?
The host says what he has heard is that the quick pen will be available only through Lilly Direct at first, outside insurance and the savings card. He says it should launch within the next couple of weeks. He adds that it will be at the same price as the single-use vials now.
What did the FDA say about the Wegovy pill ad?
The host reads from a February 5 FDA letter to Novo Nordisk saying its Wegovy pill TV ad was false or misleading. He says the letter objected to claims implying the pill form offers superior efficacy or safety over other GLP-1 treatments.
Videos on the same question
The closest videos in the library by what is said in them, not by title.
Novo Nordisk CEO on Hims Suit, Wegovy Demand and PricingIn this Bloomberg Television interview, the Novo Nordisk chief executive responds to questions about Hims & Hers, the company's 2026 outlook, its oral Wegovy pill and its search for acquisitions.
HIMS: Compound Semaglutide OUT, Branded InThe host of On The Pen opens this March 9 live stream with news that Novo Nordisk and Hims & Hers have reached a deal.
‼️HIMS CANCELS WEIGHT LOSS PILL! 💥 IS THIS THE END?!According to the video, the creator of the Earn It - Save It - Invest It channel recorded this on the weekend after a fast sequence of events involving Hims & Hers.
GLP1 GLOVES ARE OFF: Wegovy Deal From Novo Nordisk vs Semaglutide Compound Hims And HersAccording to the video, Novo Nordisk is ending its working relationship with Hims and Hers because the telehealth company continues to sell compounded semaglutide.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Novo Nordisk vs. Hims & Hers: We have a drug approval process for a reasonCNBC's hosts talk with Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a CNBC contributor and former FDA commissioner, about the dispute between Novo Nordisk and Hims & Hers over an oral GLP-1 pill.
Novo Nordisk’s Canadian drug patent lapses, opening market for Hims & Her HealthAccording to this CNBC segment, Novo Nordisk will lose its exclusive Canadian patent on semaglutide, the ingredient in its top-selling drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, next January.
About On The Pen™ GLP-1 News
News & media, 37.5K subscribers. 41 of their videos are in GLP-1 TV, 468K views between them, mostly on Zepbound, Compounded tirzepatide, Mounjaro.
- Zepbound Dosing: Your Doctor Probably Didn't Tell You About This Issue
- Mounjaro 2.5 mg Review
- Zepbound KwikPen
Read next
Our guides closest to what this video covers, with prices checked weekly.
- Is compounded semaglutide safe? What FDA actually says, and what it does not
Compounded semaglutide is the same molecule as Wegovy and Ozempic, made by a licensed pharmacy rather than Novo Nordisk, and it is lawful. What it is not is FDA-approved: in FDA's words, the agency "does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are marketed". FDA's published concerns are specific, and none of them is that the molecule is different. They are dosing errors from self-measured vials, products shipped warm, fraudulent labels naming pharmacies that never made them, and doses above the approved label. Each is checkable before you buy, and this page shows how.
- Generic Ozempic: none in the US until December 2031, where generics already sell, and what to buy instead
No. There is no FDA-approved generic Ozempic or Wegovy in the US, and the FDA Orange Book lists Novo Nordisk's semaglutide compound patent until 5 December 2031. Generics went on sale in India in March 2026 and in Canada in May, but a US buyer cannot legally import them. What you can buy today: compounded semaglutide from $69 a month on our board, or Novo's own self-pay Wegovy at $349 a month for the pen and from $149 for the pill.
- CagriSema: FDA decision due by the end of 2026, no price yet, and how it compares with Zepbound and Wegovy
CagriSema is not FDA-approved and has no price yet. Novo Nordisk filed it with the FDA on December 18, 2025 and expects a decision in the fourth quarter of 2026, with a full US launch at the start of 2027. In REDEFINE 1 it cut weight by 20.4% at 68 weeks, but head to head it trailed tirzepatide, 20.2% against 23.6%. Until it launches, compounded semaglutide starts at $69 a month on our board.
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