GLP-1 ad battle—Ozempic and Wegovy maker responds to Hims & Hers Super Bowl debut

The GLP-1 wars are heating up. After telehealth brand Hims & Hers aired its first Super Bowl commercial Sunday night, competitor Novo Nordisk, which makes competing weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, responded with its own print ads on Monday morning. “Do you really know what you’re injecting in your body?” reads text in the print ad, above a needle and vial labeled compounded semaglutide. “Bottom line: If the label doesn’t say Wegovy® (semaglutide) or Ozempic® (semaglutide), it’s not FDA approved and you have no idea what’s inside,” the text continues. The ad ran in the New York Times and USA Today, said a spokeswoman for the Danish pharmaceutical giant. NextGen Marketing Summit Join us for a crash course on Gen Z, DTC marketing and the creator economy Register today The “Check before you inject” ad specifically calls out compounded medications, which is the type that Hims & Hers manufactures and is not FDA approved. Novo Nordisk blasted its telehealth competitor by name in a statement to Ad Age about its new ad. “The recent explosion in irresponsible and misleading advertising about compounded GLP-1 drugs, like the Hims & Hers Super Bowl commercial, puts patients’ safety at risk and we cannot stay silent,” the statement read, noting criticisms by the FDA, patient advocacy organizations, medical experts, and government officials and regulators. “We are committed to confronting the stigma linked with chronic diseases, like obesity, and expanding access to our authentic, prescription-only medicines,” ended the statement. Hims & Hers told Ad Age in a statement that it takes “safety, quality, and transparency steps for every customer on our platform.” The company pointed to its Certificates of Analysis, which provides a report card with ingredients from “FDA-regulated suppliers.” Hims & Hers noted that “by offering access to personalized treatments, we’re able to help customers feel healthier, better manage side effects, and stay on treatment up to 3 times longer than the industry standard.” Hims & Hers’ 60-second spot, called “Sick of the System,” highlights the dangers of obesity and touts its medication as an affordable and accessible solution that is “doctor-trusted and formulated in the USA.” Novo Nordisk’s print ad follows criticisms about Hims & Hers made last week. The National Consumers League, a nonprofit watchdog group, issued a warning about unregulated versions of GLP-1 weight loss drugs. In addition, the industry trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America released a complaint about Hims & Hers, noting the “misleading Super Bowl ad that misrepresents the safety and efficacy of their knockoff GLP-1 medicines” and adding that the ad “is a clear violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.” A Fox spokesman confirmed the Hims & Hers ad was cleared to air on Sunday and “was subject to Fox’s commercial clearance process.” Another big pharma competitor, Eli Lilly, which sells FDA-approved injectable GLP-1 drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound, did not respond to a request for comment about Hims & Hers’ Super Bowl ad. Super Bowl ad review The best and worst commercials from the Big Game Click here

GLP-1 ad battle—Ozempic and Wegovy maker responds to Hims & Hers Super Bowl debut

Featured Stories