The news: Hours after online healthcare company Mangoceuticals claimed partnerships with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to provide discounted weight loss drugs to cash-pay customers, both drugmakers denied any affiliation.
Catch up quick: A Mangoceuticals press release on Thursday stated that eligible patients who receive prescriptions through Mangoceuticals’ telehealth providers will be able to access Zepbound and Wegovy at a reduced price of $499 per month with free home delivery—about half their list prices.
However, Lilly released a statement that it has no affiliation with Mangoceuticals, while Novo told Reuters that it has no special arrangements with the company.
Why it matters: Mangoceuticals has been selling compounded GLP-1s, which both Novo and Lilly strongly oppose. For context, numerous companies were selling compounded GLP-1s (aka copycat drugs) last year when Lilly’s and Novo’s brand-name medications were in short supply. Shortages ended earlier this year, but compounded drugs are still legal as long as they aren’t exact replicas of branded drugs.
Lilly even took legal action against Mangoceuticals late last year. Lilly’s lawsuit alleged that Mangoceuticals improperly copied its GLP-1 drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro by selling an oral version (which it appears to have dropped due to Lilly obtaining a permanent injunction). However, Mangoceuticals is apparently offering an oral version of Novo’s GLP-1. For context, there is no FDA-approved oral form of tirzepatide, and the only oral form of semaglutide is sold by Novo under the brand name Rybelsus.
Implications for sellers of compounded GLP-1s: After Novo and Lilly dropped their weight loss drug prices via a deal with the Trump administration, we predicted that the shrinking price gap between FDA-approved GLP-1s and knockoffs would spur more partnerships between compounders and drugmakers. Novo and Lilly likely see value in tie-ups with larger healthcare companies that can serve as strong distribution partners.
However, as GLP-1 compounders lose their pricing edge, smaller players must resist overstating their ties to Novo and Lilly. While any healthcare provider can prescribe Lilly’s or Novo’s GLP-1s, manufacturer-set discounts won’t be made available to companies that engage in misleading marketing.
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