Americans Continue to Struggle to Access Branded GLP-1s as Shortages Continue

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Nov 13, 2024

Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (“Hims & Hers”, NYSE: HIMS), the leading health and wellness platform, today shared more data on the challenges Americans are facing when trying to access branded GLP-1 medication and introduced a GLP-1 Supply Tracker, where individuals can be a part of advocating for better access to the medications they need.

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Hims & Hers introduces a GLP-1 Supply Tracker to help more individuals advocate for accessible healthcare. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Hims & Hers has been collecting data on access challenges across GLP-1s since the beginning of September. On just the Hims & Hers platform alone, nearly 80,000 individuals have shared they cannot access branded GLP-1 medications. Those numbers are particularly pronounced in states where the obesity rate is higher. For instance, in Texas, which is among the top 10 state obesity rates in the country, nearly 5,000 Hims & Hers customers have shared they cannot access the care they need. The company has been actively communicating with state and federal legislative and regulatory agencies to provide them with information about what individuals on our platform have been experiencing.

In an effort to better understand the access challenges across the US, Hims & Hers introduced the GLP-1 Supply Tracker to help more individuals share their experiences and use their voice to ensure the FDA has the information it needs to better support accessible care. In just one week, nearly 7,000 individuals have used the tracker to report that they cannot access their medications, with brand name products containing semaglutide reported as being the most challenging to access.

“Our customers have demonstrated a clear gap in supply and demand, so we’re making it easy for everyone to share their experience and be a part of advocating for better access to the medications they need,” said Andrew Dudum, CEO and co-founder of Hims & Hers. “Part of our responsibility to the millions of customers who trust us with their healthcare is to understand the scale of the challenges they face and use our platform to combat them.”

Branded GLP-1 medications are challenging to access across the country, with availability fluctuating up and down as drugmakers invest in their ability to meet the immense amount of demand. While no official report has quantified the reach and impact of the shortage, research into Hims & Hers customers found that nearly 30% of Weight Loss customers who had been prescribed a branded GLP-1 in the past were unable to fill it because the medication was not available at their pharmacy. As more people become aware of these medications and the stigma associated with seeking treatment for obesity ebbs, this demand will continue to rise: Research from the University of Southern California showed a 442% increase in prescriptions for semaglutide between January 2021 and December 2023.

Consumers struggling to access the branded GLP-1 medications they’ve been prescribed can visit www.hims.com/weight-loss/supply-tracker or www.forhers.com/weight-loss/supply-tracker to share more about their experience.

About Hims & Hers Health, Inc

Hims & Hers is the leading health and wellness platform on a mission to help the world feel great through the power of better health. We believe how you feel in your body and mind transforms how you show up in life. That’s why we’re building a future where nothing stands in the way of harnessing this power. Hims & Hers normalizes health & wellness challenges—and innovates on their solutions—to make feeling happy and healthy easy to achieve. No two people are the same, so the company provides access to personalized care designed for results. For more information, please visit www.hims.com and www.forhers.com.

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