Noom to supply GLP-1 drug through recent weight reduction program

Digital health company Noom on Thursday announced it can offer a compounded GLP-1 drug as a part of a recent weight reduction product that starts at $149. 

The treatment will feature compounded semaglutide, the identical energetic ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster obesity and diabetes drugs Wegovy and Ozempic. Noom has offered weight reduction programs for years, and consumers can already attempt to access those branded medications through its platform. 

But Noom is the newest in a string of digital health firms to supply compounded versions of the medications as a less expensive alternative for consumers while demand for weight reduction and diabetes drugs spikes. Hims & Hers and Sesame have launched similar programs in recent months — and the marketplace for low-cost options has grown more competitive.  

“Our position is that more supply, especially at an affordable price, is required straight away, not less,” Noom CEO Geoff Cook told CNBC in an interview. 

Wegovy and Ozempic belong to a highly popular class of medicines called GLP-1s, which mimic certain gut hormones to tamp down a patient’s appetite and regulate their blood sugar. The compounded versions are custom-made alternatives to the brand drugs, and so they might be produced when brand-name treatments are in shortage.

Compounded GLP-1 medications are typically less expensive than their branded counterparts. Wegovy and Ozempic each cost roughly $1,000 monthly before insurance. Most insurance policy cover GLP-1s after they are used to treat diabetes, but coverage of the load loss drugs is less widespread. Spiking demand also can make it difficult for a lot of patients to seek out the branded treatments.

Cook said consumers can pay $149 for his or her first month in Noom’s program and $279 for the next months because the dose of their medication increases. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t review the security and efficacy of compounded products, and the agency has urged consumers to take the approved, branded GLP-1 medications after they can be found. Nonetheless, the FDA does inspect some outsourcing facilities that compound drugs, in accordance with its website.

Noom said it’s working with an FDA-regulated 503B compounding pharmacy to supply its medication for its recent program, which is known as Noom GLP-1 RX. 

“The drug manufacturer we’re working with generates 20 generic medications, epinephrine being certainly one of them — a lifesaving medication that is available in hospitals all across the US,” Dr. Adonis Saremi, chief medical officer of Noom, told CNBC in an interview. “So we’re really confident and completely satisfied with our vetting process.” 

The corporate said it has also introduced a way for participants to taper off the compounded treatment in the event that they would really like to stop taking it. GLP-1s are intended for long-term use, which implies some patients may find yourself taking them indefinitely. 

Cook said Noom has seen each anecdotal and real-world evidence that patients are able to keep up weight reduction after they stop taking the drugs. Six out of seven patients are off GLP-1s by the two-year mark anyway, he said. 

“It’s prescribed by the doctor, the person takes their medicine, they drop pounds, but then life happens,” Cook said. “They eventually stop taking the medication, or their insurance stops covering it, they’ll change a job [so] it’s now not covered.” 

Cook said not everyone will find a way to taper off the medication, so some people will likely find yourself taking it indefinitely. The corporate will provide a free 12 months of Noom or “substantial medication discounts” to anyone who regains the load inside 18 months after following its program for a 12 months, it said in a release. 

Consumers can start with the Noom GLP-1 RX program by filling out an intake form on the web site. Noom said certainly one of its contracted, obesity-trained doctors will review the intake form and judge if the compounded medication is suitable for that patient. If that’s the case, the drugs will arrive at their door inside every week, Noom said. 

Participants will learn the best way to inject their medication, and so they can use a chat feature to speak one-on-one with a coach and their Noom clinician, the corporate said. They’ll even have access to a variety of psychology-based programming and tools to assist keep them from losing muscle mass, comparable to features for tracking protein intake and interesting in resistance training, Noom said.

And if users determine they’re able to move off the medication, they’ll chat with their clinician or tap “initiate taper” of their settings, Noom said.  

“I believe there’s lots of folks who don’t need to be on a medicine for the remainder of their lives, and in any event, people aren’t doing that in the true world,” Cook said. “Our goal is just to not sell more medications. It’s to drive sustained weight reduction outcomes.”