March 7 (Reuters) - Hims & Hers Health ( HIMS ) would

discontinue Apostrophe, its personalized acne treatments

dermatology business, the company said on Friday.

Apostrophe is being shut down to "simplify its (company's)

dermatology products and operations into one seamless

experience," Hims & Hers said.

The telehealth company, which also offers products for skin

conditions such as wrinkles and fine lines, had acquired

Apostrophe in 2021.

Hims & Hers will continue to provide other dermatology

treatments.

A notice on Apostrophe's website also said the business is

being discontinued and all current subscriptions will be

canceled.

Shares of the telehealth firm closed 4.5% higher at $35.95

on Friday. The company's stock has plunged more than 45% since

Novo Nordisk's drug semaglutide, the active

ingredient in its top-selling medicines Wegovy and Ozempic, was

removed from the U.S. health regulator's shortage list on

February 21.

Compounding pharmacies and telehealth firms such as Hims &

Hers had been allowed to produce hundreds of thousands of doses

of copies of weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Eli Lilly's ( LLY )

Zepbound, only while the FDA said there was a shortage of them.

Without a shortage, compounders may not produce copies of

the branded drugs regularly or in large amounts, according to

FDA guidance. The regulator has given a grace period of 60 to 90

days to compounding pharmacies, starting the clock on unfettered

market access for these drugs.

Hims & Hers has said it cannot guarantee the continuity of

the products "in the same manner, to the same extent, or at

all".

The company plans to continue the sale of personalized doses

of the drug along with its nutrition and coaching plans. It said

that the decision to wind down Apostrophe is unrelated and

separate from its weight-loss drug business.