Goodrx (GDRX) joins the action of GLP-1 with a message on Monday that it will start selling as Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 medicines (NVO), Ozmpic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss at $ 499 per month.
The partnership comes as the telephone and digital health platforms are increasingly regarded as ways to provide more access to search products.
Goodrx CEO Wendy Barnes told Yahoo Finance that while the company was not first in the gate with the strategy, she believes she is coming at the right time.
“There is no doubt that we could try to do something earlier than a complex alternative path, but we were very clear in our belief that it should be approved by FDA, legally approved. It was just not a path we would support,” Barnes said.
The message sent Goodrx shares to rise, over 30% in Monday trade.
Telestical platforms like Hims & Hers (Hims) have recently been pressured after Novo Nordisk ended a connection with the company when Hims & Her refused to stop selling sophisticated or Copycat, versions of GLP-1.
Mixed versions of popular drugs have been on the market for several years and were originally allowed by the FDA when Novo Nordisk and competitor Eli Lilly (Lly) failed to respond to market demand for their GLP-1. With the declared shortage, Copycats are already illegal, but complex pharmacies and their sellers claim to be legally selling them through a door known as personalized medicine. If the patient is unable to tolerate the side effects of the drug, a complex version is often used.
“There are many good reasons to use complex drugs that are clinically appropriate and acceptable. This is not where things sit in this class of medicines,” Barnes said.
Sales of injections via Goodrx also differ from the Eli Lilly strategy, which sells vials from its telephone platforms to reach more patients faster. The vials are easier to produce than the injection pens, which have been a key cause of shortage over the last two years.
Goodrx said he had observed a growing search for GLP-1 products, with 17 million inquiries on his drug site in the last year. This is 22% compared to the previous year. The sale of Ozmpic via Goodrx marks the first time the diabetes medicine is sold at a monetary price, Goodrx said.
Goodrx also sells Eli Lilly Mounjaro (for diabetes) and Zepbound through its regular pharmacy channels at regular prices.