NEW YORK, Sept 18 (Reuters) - U.S. telehealth company

Hims & Hers Health ( HIMS ) on Wednesday said it will sell

compounded versions of Novo Nordisk's popular

weight-loss drug Wegovy to patients in certain professions for

$99 a month.

The company said the pricing would be available to eligible

U.S. military members, teachers, nurses and first responders,

including police and firefighters, as well as veterans. For

patients on a 12-month plan, Hims offers a semaglutide injection

for $199 a month, according to its website.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

The news comes after U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders said

multiple generic drugmakers confirmed they could sell

custom-made versions of Novo's drug for less than $100 a month

using the semaglutide.

Soaring demand for weight-loss drugs in the GLP-1 class,

which have been shown to help patients lose as much as 20% of

their weight on average, has led to shortages of the drugs that

have allowed compounders to produce them under U.S. regulations.

Around 70% of U.S. adults are either overweight or

obese, According to the World Health Organization (WHO).

CONTEXT

Ozempic and Wegovy carry high list prices of $935.77 and

$1,349.02 respectively for a month's supply, according to the

company's website. Most U.S. patients are covered by health

insurance and would likely pay less for the drugs.

Novo and rival Eli Lilly ( LLY ), which makes the

weight-loss drug Zepbound, have filed a flurry of lawsuits

against medical spas, wellness clinics and compounding

pharmacies for allegedly selling products claiming to contain

the active ingredients in their drugs.

Compounded GLP-1 injections are fulfilled and shipped from

Hims & Hers' affiliated pharmacies and are FDA-regulated, the

company said.

KEY QUOTE

"The current state of access to weight loss drugs isn't

serving everyone who needs them," said Andrew Dudum, CEO and

co-founder of Hims & Hers. "Safe and affordable healthcare

solutions for every individual should be the status quo."