The Hims & Hers Super Bowl ad about weight loss drugs took on America's 'broken' health care system. Why was there backlash?
During the Super Bowl, Hims & Hers Health aired a commercial called 'Sick of the System.' But before the 60-second spot was played on Fox Sunday night, the ad — which deems obesity 'America's deadliest epidemic,' criticizes the $160 billion weight loss industry and calls the health care system 'broken,' all while offering the brand's own 'affordable, doctor-trusted' compounded semaglutide as a solution — was called 'misleading' and 'disparaging' by experts, advocates and politicians. The company, however, disputes the claims.
In response to complaints made publicly by the Partnership for Safe Medicines and the Obesity Society (TOS), Hims & Hers provided Yahoo Life with the following statement:
This is a clear attempt by industry groups to cancel an advertisement that directly calls out how they are part of a system that fails to prioritize the health of Americans. The system is broken, and this is just another example of how they don't want Americans to know they have options. We're calling for change, which means putting the health of Americans first through affordable and available care.
Set to Childish Gambino's 'This is America,' the telehealth company declares that "something's broken and it's not our bodies." The ad says that "there are medications that work, but they're priced for profits, not patients," and features images of injection pens meant to represent brand-name weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. "The system wasn't built to help us, it was built to keep us sick and stuck," the narrator says before offering Hims & Hers as the solution to the fact that 74% of Americans are overweight: by providing Americans with "affordable, doctor-trusted, life-changing" weight loss medications.
On YouTube, where the commercial debuted at the end of January, viewers are sent to a webpage that states, 'Big Pharma doesn't want you to see this' at the top.
Hims & Hers believes that is where the controversy lies. 'We called on the industry and said that they need to change — and their reaction is trying to shut this ad down,' says a representative for the company. 'To us, it's clear that it's not about the ad — it's about the message.'
In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, health care groups and lawmakers alleged that Hims & Hers didn't abide by advertising standards and were purposely withheld information from consumers. In a letter to Dr. Catherine Gray, the director of the office of prescription drug promotion at the Food and Drug Administration, the executive director of the Partnership for Safe Medicines points out that Hims & Hers directly references the 'life-changing weight loss medications' that it offers without clarifying that it is a compounded semaglutide and, therefore, isn't FDA-approved. 'The disclaimer appears only briefly in tiny gray font at the bottom of the screen that is nearly imperceptible to an average viewer, without any accompanying audio disclosure,' the letter reads.
Also, the ad lacks any mention of possible side effects of the medication despite the FDA's warning that compounded drugs 'can be risky for patients' as a result of not undergoing the administration's safety, effectiveness and quality reviews. This was also mentioned in another letter written by The Partnership for Safe Medicines to executives at Fox demanding that the ad 'be withdrawn to protect public safety.'
'We adhere to all applicable laws and regulations regarding advertising,' says Hims & Hers. Compounded medications are subject to a separate set of standards than those that are FDA-approved. Another letter addressed to Dr. Sarah Brenner, acting commissioner of the FDA, written by senators Richard Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, and Roger Marshall, Republican of Kansas, on Friday calls this 'a regulatory loophole' that needs fixing.
'We plan to soon introduce bipartisan legislation to close this gap, so that patients are not deceived by advertisements that glaringly omit critical safety and side effect information,' the letter reads. 'But we believe FDA may already have the authority to take enforcement action against marketing that may mislead patients about this company's products.'
The Obesity Society urges viewers 'to speak with their medical doctor regarding obesity medications,' according to a press release.
The organization made additional comments about the content of the ad, claiming that the imagery reinforces harmful weight stigma and bias. 'Hims & Hers portrays obesity with images of large headless abdomens which does create a visceral negative response by the viewer, and they unfortunately cast a disparaging connotation for people living with obesity,' says Dr. Marc-Andrew Cornier, the organization's president.
After millions of people watched the ad, critiques were less concerned about the minutiae and largely focused on the bigger message. While the first half of the spot got rave reviews, the "bait and switch" was called "misleading," "hypocritical" and "dystopian" for the ad's efforts to expose the health care system's issues all while trying to profit from them. "Stop preying on people under the guise of criticizing healthcare industry," one person wrote in an Instagram comment on the company's page. Another said, "How can you miss the point so badly??? The system IS broken. It is NOT our bodies. You ARE chasing profit. Try again."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
17 minutes ago
- Medscape
Novo's Ozempic Linked to Rare Cases Of Serious Eye Disorder, EU Regulator Says
(Reuters) -Novo Nordisk's popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs Wegovy and Ozempic may in very rare cases cause a serious eye condition that can lead to vision loss, the European Medicines Agency's safety committee said on Friday. In the past, studies in type-2 diabetes patients have linked Ozempic to the condition called non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). But this is the first time a regulator has confirmed the side effect. The condition may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic as well as in Novo's other diabetes drug Rybelsus, for at least one year, the regulator said. NAION is the second-most common cause of blindness due to optic nerve damage, after glaucoma. "This has been reported as a potential risk for some time, so I think the clinical community is relatively aware of it. I don't see this as making any major difference to prescribing patterns," said Barclays analyst Emily Field. U.S.-listed shares of the Danish drugmaker were up nearly 2.5% in early trading. The EMA, which started its review in December, has asked Novo to add NAION as a side effect of very rare frequency in the product information accompanying drugs that contain semaglutide. Novo said it would work with the EMA to update the labels, adding clinical trials and after-market studies did not suggest a reasonable possibility that the drugs caused the condition. The "benefit-risk profile of semaglutide remains favorable," the company said in a statement. Novo has recently faced investor concerns that it is losing its first-mover advantage in the highly competitive obesity treatment market, leading the company to oust CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen in May. Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound currently dominate the weight-loss drug market, potentially worth about $150 billion by the next decade. The EMA said several large studies in type-2 diabetes patients have suggested that use of Novo's drugs could raise the risk of developing NAION by twofold. A study of nearly 350,000 diabetes patients published in March showed that the risk of developing NAION more than doubled after two years of treatment with Ozempic, compared to patients taking medicines from other classes. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on whether the Food and Drug Administration was conducting a probe into the side effect. (Reporting by Manas Mishra and Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Omada Health Shares Soar After IPO as GLP-1 Drugs Fuel Interest
Omada Health shares jumped after the company made its public-market debut, propelled by Americans' renewed focus on how weight affects physical health.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
How medical debt impacts your credit (and what you can do about it)
We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. If you're dealing with unpaid medical debt, it could hurt your credit — but there are ways to resolve the today's healthcare landscape, even a brief hospital visit can leave behind a mountain of bills. And with insurance not always covering everything — or in some cases, anything — many Americans are left grappling with medical debts they never expected to face. In 2024, about 20 million Americans, or nearly 1 in 12 adults, owed money for medical debt, according to the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) survey. The impact of this type of debt can be more than financial, though. Medical debt often hits during a time of personal crisis — after an accident, illness or surgery — leaving people emotionally overwhelmed and financially vulnerable. And when those bills go unpaid, the stress can compound as collections calls start and credit scores begin to slip. For many, this debt is not the result of overspending or poor budgeting, but simply the price of getting necessary care. Luckily, recently updated credit reporting rules and a range of relief programs are starting to ease the burden for many patients. But it's still important to understand exactly how medical debt affects your credit and what steps you can take to protect yourself. Find out how to get help with your debt problems today. How medical debt impacts your credit Medical debt used to be one of the quickest ways to damage your credit score. Even small unpaid bills could end up in collections and drag down your credit for years. But relatively recent changes from the three major credit bureaus — Experian, TransUnion and Equifax — have shifted how this type of debt is handled. Here's what changed: Paid medical collections no longer appear on credit reports. If you settle or pay off your medical debt, it should no longer hurt your credit, even after it goes to collections. If you settle or pay off your medical debt, it should no longer hurt your credit, even after it goes to collections. There's now a one-year waiting period. Medical bills sent to collections won't be added to your credit report for 12 months, giving you time to resolve them or work out a payment plan. Smaller debts are excluded. Medical collections under $500 no longer appear on credit reports at all. These reforms mean that unpaid medical bills might not damage your credit as quickly or as severely as they once did. Still, if a large medical balance goes unresolved for too long, it can eventually show up on your report and lower your credit score, especially if you don't take action during that one-year grace period. It's also important to know that while medical debt is handled differently than credit card or loan debt, lenders don't necessarily make that distinction. A collection is a collection, and any mark on your credit report can impact your ability to get approved for a loan, rent an apartment or even land certain jobs. Explore your debt relief options with the help of an expert now. What you can do about your medical debt If you're struggling with medical debt, you have options. Taking action sooner rather than later can help you avoid collections and limit the potential damage to your credit score. Here are some strategies worth considering: Review and negotiate your bills Start by carefully reviewing every bill for errors or duplicate charges. Medical billing mistakes are surprisingly common. If something doesn't look right, call the provider or hospital's billing department and ask for an itemized statement. Once you verify the charges, see if the provider will negotiate. Many are willing to offer discounts for prompt payment, set up interest-free payment plans or even reduce what you owe if you demonstrate financial hardship. Apply for financial assistance Nonprofit hospitals are legally required to offer financial assistance programs to eligible patients. If you're low-income or facing financial hardship, you may qualify for partial or full forgiveness, even if the bill has already gone to collections. Ask your provider's billing office for an application. Consider a debt relief program If your medical debt is substantial or you're juggling multiple types of unsecured debt, a debt relief program, like debt settlement, may be worth exploring. Debt settlement programs work by negotiating with your creditors to settle your debts for less than the full amount owed. There are also debt relief programs that consolidate your debts into a single monthly payment, which can make them easier to manage. Keep in mind, however, that while debt settlement can help resolve medical collections, it may come with risks, such as fees, tax implications and temporary credit score drops, so it's important to work with a reputable provider and understand the trade-offs. Monitor your credit Your credit report should reflect any paid or settled medical debts accurately, but that may not always be the case. So, be sure to check your credit report regularly to ensure no incorrect medical collections are listed. If you spot an error, dispute it with the credit bureau directly. The bottom line Medical debt can feel uniquely unfair, as it often comes out of nowhere and hits when you're least prepared. But while it has the potential to hurt your credit, changes in how this debt is reported now offer more breathing room. You still need to act quickly and proactively, but there's a path forward even when the bills seem insurmountable. From negotiating with providers to seeking financial aid or working with a debt relief program, there are ways to tackle medical debt without wrecking your financial future. So, know your options and use the time you have before those bills end up on your credit report to tackle the issue before it compounds.
