Telehealth Firms See Ozempic Copycats Sparking Employer Interest in Covering Weight-Loss Drugs
Hims & Hers and other telehealth providers say employers that balked at pricey brand-name shots are investigating cheaper off-brand alternatives.
As more people flock to drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic and Zepbound for weight loss, employers that cover them are suffering from sticker shock.
Photographer: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Telehealth companies Hims & Hers Health Inc., Noom Inc. and Sesame Inc. have lured individual customers with low-cost versions of popular weight-loss shots like Ozempic and Wegovy. Now, they’re going after employers, too, as the medications become an in-demand perk.
After Noom began offering a compounded copy of Wegovy for $149 a month, Chief Executive Officer Geoff Cook said he was “actually a little surprised” by the level of employer interest. “The announcement seemed to bring folks out of the woodwork,” Cook said in an interview. “They were clearly already investigating if this could be a solution for their employees.”