HIMS New $49 Pill Lifts Stock 10%, But Why Are NVO, LLY Stocks Falling?

The company announced the launch of a compounded copy of the Wegovy weight-loss pill at an introductory price of $49 per month.

• Hims & Hers said the compounded copy uses the same active ingredient as Wegovy but features a different formulation and delivery system.
• The compounded pill will start at the introductory pricing for the first month for qualifying new customers under a five-month plan.
• The pill is engineered to preserve the active ingredient during digestion and improve absorption.

Shares of Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (HIMS) rose 10% on Thursday after the company announced the launch of a compounded copy of the Wegovy weight-loss pill at an introductory price of $49 per month.

Hims & Hers said the compounded copy uses the same active ingredient as Wegovy but features a different formulation and delivery system from the FDA-approved oral semaglutide. Novo Nordisk originally introduced Wegovy as a once-weekly injection and expanded the franchise earlier this year with the launch of an oral pill version.

$100 Cheaper Than Novo’s Wegovy

Hims & Hers said treatment plans using the compounded pill will start at an introductory $49 for the first month for qualifying new customers under a five-month plan. The remaining months are priced at $99 per month, payable in advance.

According to Novo Nordisk’s website, Wegovy pills are priced at $149 per month for a 1.5 mg dose.

Hims & Hers stated that its compounded pill is engineered to preserve the active ingredient during digestion and improve absorption, offering an alternative for patients who want to avoid injections.

Meanwhile, NVO shares fell nearly 6%.

Novo’s Pricing Challenges

Earlier this week, Novo said it expects adjusted sales for full year 2026 to drop between 5% and 13%, with operating profit potentially falling by 13% due to pricing pressure, intensifying competition, and upcoming patent expiries for key ingredients in Wegovy and Ozempic in select markets outside the U.S.

“Our 2026 guidance reflects a year of unprecedented pricing pressure,” CEO Mike Doustdar said in a call with journalists on Wednesday. Doustdar added that Novo would have to accept short-term pain to lift volumes, arguing that lowering prices would pay off in the long-run.

The pill variant has already seen significant traction since its launch in January.

“I can tell you, as of this week, we have over 170,000 people that are on the Wegovy pill, and most of that is self-pay,” Doustdar said in a call with analysts.

Eli Lilly (LLY), the maker of weight-loss drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound, saw its shares fall 6.5%.

How Did Stocktwits Users React?

Retail sentiment for HIMS on Stocktwits turned ‘extremely bullish’ from ‘bullish’ a day earlier, while chatter was ‘extremely high’ on the platform.

One user saw the new launch as a “trend changing event.”

Another bullish user highlighted HIM’s latest developments.

Year-to-date, the stock has declined around 20%.

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