Hims & Hers CEO Andrew Dudum Says AI Health Coach Could Be Just 12 Months Away, Believes It Could Increase Medication Adherence

Speaking in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, Dudum said an AI coach could remind patients to take their medicine, monitor side effects and even connect with healthcare providers.

• Dudum said the system could potentially combine information from at-home blood tests, connected scales, wearable devices and glucose monitors.
• Speaking on the FTC lawsuit, Dudum said the regulator ultimately ‘wanted more of a headline than a real agreement.’
• The FTC alleges that Hims shared sensitive health information with advertising platforms, including Meta and Snap.

Hims & Hers Health (HIMS) CEO Andrew Dudum said consumers could be about 12 months away from accessing AI-powered health coaches that could double or triple medication adherence.

Speaking in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, Dudum said many patients stop taking drugs prescribed for chronic conditions within a year. An AI coach could remind patients to take their medicine, monitor side effects and even connect with healthcare providers when a dosage needs adjusting.

 “If you can have a coach, an AI coach, be with you, hand-holding you, checking in on you, reminding you to take the medicine. You’re having side effects, great. Let’s adjust your dose. Let me talk to your provider and tweak the medicine for you. The adherence can double or triple.”

Connected Devices Could Feed The AI

Dudum said the system could potentially combine information from at-home blood tests, connected scales, wearable devices and glucose monitors. He also discussed Bluetooth-enabled medicine bottles that could record when patients open and close them.

When asked how soon AI-powered health coaches could become a reality, Dudum said, “I don’t think you’re that far. I think you’re 12 months away. I really do.”

Dudum’s Comments On FTC Allegations

Dudum also spoke about the lawsuit the company faces from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the states of Utah and California. The regulator alleges that Hims & Hers shared sensitive health information with third-party advertising platforms, including Meta and Snap.

The FTC also accused Hims of misleading customers about billing and making subscriptions difficult to cancel. It alleged that the company previously required many customers to cancel through phone, email, or chat and later made its online cancellation button difficult to find.

Dudum said Hims has worked with the FTC for years but argued that the regulator ultimately “wanted more of a headline than a real agreement.”

“I think it takes time for people to understand how to do that the right way, and we’ve worked for many years with the FTC to walk them through that. And I think ultimately they wanted more of a headline than a real agreement here,” he added.

Hims has denied the allegations and said it will “vigorously defend” itself. The company maintains that its privacy policy gives customers control over how their information is used and that information shared with healthcare providers is used only to provide care.

HIMS shares were trading 2.2% lower at the time of writing, while retail sentiment on Stocktwits turned ‘bearish’ from ‘bullish’ a day earlier.

The stock has declined more than 16% so far this year.

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