Latest news with #SickoftheSystem
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Super Bowl ad for copycat weight loss drugs stokes pharma power debate
As the Philadelphia Eagles romped to victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl LIX, the eyes of the pharmaceutical industry were on an advert aired by telehealth company Him & Hers that once again ignited the debate around the legitimacy of compounded weight loss medications. Controversy has surrounded the commercial, called 'Sick of the System', in the lead-up to America's biggest sporting event. Drug industry bodies and politicians labelled the advert misleading while pharmacy compounding experts backed Him & Hers' message. The 60-second advert details obesity in America, what it calls the country's deadliest epidemic. Him & Hers says the weight loss system is broken, citing that profit in the pharmaceutical industry is more important than patient health. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) injection pens, that resemble Novo Nordisk's semaglutide products Wegovy and Ozempic, are featured in the advert. 'The system wasn't built to help us, it was built to keep us sick and stuck,' the narrator says whilst Childish Gambino's 'This is America' plays in the background. Live reactions to the advert being aired during the Super Bowl mainly picked up on the 'hypocritical' tone of the advert. One user on X stated it was 'just pharma regurgitation', with another questioning why 'they're bagging on the weight loss industry and then advertising a weight loss pill?' Him & Hers offers compounded semaglutide, a copycat version of weight loss drug Wegovy that contains semaglutide as its active ingredient. The telehealth company criticises the $160bn weight loss industry, referencing needlessly high prices of GLP-1RA drugs. Him & Hers sells their semaglutide copycat for under $200 a month while Wegovy costs around $1,000 a month without insurance. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs such as Wegovy can be compounded under certain conditions, such as if the original approved drug is in shortage and unavailable. However, compounded versions are not directly regulated by the FDA and their safety has often been questioned. Two US senators, Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Roger Marshall, wrote a letter to the FDA ahead of the Super Bowl expressing concerns over the advert because it 'risks misleading patients by omitting any safety or side effect information when promoting a specific type of weight loss medication'. The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PMA) – a trade body that addresses issues such as counterfeit medicines and online drug sellers – said that it was 'deeply disturbed' by the advertisement. PMA's executive director Shabbir Safdar said: 'Heavy on hyperbole and light on ethical transparency, this marketing blitz promotes altered, poorly regulated versions of legitimate pharmaceutical medications – also known as compounded drugs – intended for people living with serious medical conditions, including diabetes and obesity.' Backing the legitimacy of the advert, Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding CEO Scott Brunner commented that because compounded medications are not FDA-approved, they do not carry the same required labelling. Brunner said: '[The advert] does not promote a specific drug or medication and therefore is not required to provide information about side effects or risks. Instead, it encouraged viewers to consult with a healthcare provider, which aligns with the Federal Trade Commission's guidelines for non-specific, 'help-seeking' advertisements.' Him & Hers' Super Bowl commercial slot is just the latest in a long line of power struggles between the pharmaceutical industry and sellers of compounded GLP1-RAs. Novo Nordisk has previously asked the FDA to block compounders from manufacturing copycat versions of its products, citing significant safety risks. Eli Lilly, developer of tirzepatide, which is marketed as weight loss medication Zepbound and diabetes treatment Mounjaro, has sued online sellers for improperly copying its drugs. Whilst semaglutide is still in shortage according to the FDA, tirzepatide was removed from the agency's shortage list in December 2024, signalling the end of legally manufactured compounded versions of Eli Lilly's products. "Super Bowl ad for copycat weight loss drugs stokes pharma power debate" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hims & Hers aired a Super Bowl ad for weight loss drugs. It alarmed health experts and senators.
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 Medicine and the Obesity Society, 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. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. 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, 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."
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
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."
