WEIGHT LOSS DRUG maker Novo Nordisk has said it would take legal action against a US chain offering a “knock-off” of the new pill version of its Wegovy drug.

The Danish company only began selling Wegovy in pill form last month after having received approval from the US regulator Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but the telehealth company Hims & Hers has begun advertising cheaper versions.

The upstart has revealed plans to sell a copy of the newly launched pill for $49, far less than the $149 (€126) Novo sells the branded pill for in the US.

Hims & Hers acquired telemedicine provider Zava last year, allowing it into the Irish market.

“This is another example of Hims & Hers’ historic behaviour of duping the American public with knock-off GLP-1 products,” said Novo Nordisk in a striking statement, referring to the hormone in Wegovy that regulates blood glucose levels and appetite.

“Novo Nordisk will take legal and regulatory action to protect patients, our intellectual property and the integrity of the US gold-standard drug approval framework,” it added.

Novo Nordisk has not yet had the pill version of Wegovy authorised for the European Union.

Shares in Novo Nordisk have taken a beating this week after it warned of lower sales revenue in the US as intensified competition pushes down prices.

The company is also facing increasing pressure from its patents for Wegovy either ending in the likes of Canada or potentially nearing the end of its lifespan in other major markets.

But its close rival Eli Lilly was enjoying better fortunes as its full-year results on Wednesday showed pre-tax earnings more than doubled to 25.73 billion US dollars (€21.8 billion).

Sales of its Mounjaro weight loss drug doubled to 23 billion dollars (£19.5 billion) in 2025, having enjoyed a 110% surge in the final three months alone.

Prices have been put under further pressure for the main players after Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly agreed a plan to appease US President Donald Trump by reducing prices across their ranges and expanding access to them for those on health insurance in America.

Limited production capacity for the blockbuster drug led the FDA to temporarily allow pharmacies to create so-called “compound” or copycat versions of Wegovy and Ozempic, an analogue used to treat diabetes.

That authorisation expired last 22 May but Novo Nordisk has complained of copycat versions of its drugs still being available.

With reporting by AFP and PA