The news: Dr. Kim Boyd, previously the chief medical officer of telehealth weight loss startup Calibrate, joins WeightWatchers as CMO. The company plans to launch perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause treatments and services for women ages 40-60 later this year.

How we got here: WeightWatchers has struggled to compete in the new era of weight loss with the entrance of prescription drugs.

• The 62-year-old brand, known for its points-counting system and support groups, joined the weight loss prescription drug market with the purchase of telehealth provider Sequence in May 2023.
• But it’s struggled to be taken seriously as a weight loss drug competitor. WeightWatchers filed for bankruptcy in May with $1.5 billion in debt.
• Last month, it struck a deal with Novo Nordisk to offer its GLP-1 drug Wegovy to cash-pay customers at a discounted $299 for July. 

Zooming out: Weight Watchers is targeting middle-age and older women via both the menopause and GLP-1 weight loss drug programs. The new services build on its existing weight loss support for women before, during and after menopause.

However, it’s not the first telehealth brand to offer hormone therapy for women. Noom launched FDA-approved hormone replacement therapies in March noting women ages 40-60 voiced difficulty losing weight during menopause.