officially entered the Canadian market with its
Livewell company
focused on
.
The US telemedicine upstart said the move was expected to help
speed up the official launch of your platform
in Canada next year.
Scheduled launch of Hims & Hers coincides with first expected appearance
anywhere in the world. The drug popularized
and is used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, widely used as an anti-obesity drug.
“Our expansion into Canada is a direct response to critical public health needs, particularly the obesity crisis,” Andrew Dudum, co-founder and CEO of Hims & Hers, said in a press release.
The company said it is creating a local team to lead its Canadian operations. Austin Coury, a former DoorDash executive, will lead Hims & Hers Canada as CEO and will work closely with advisor and Canada's new chief medical officer, obesity physician Dr. Sandy Wang.
“Bringing Hims & Hers to Canada is a powerful investment in the health and well-being of Canadians,” said Khoury.
Livewell co-founders Antoine Arbor and Patrick Duffy will also join Hims & Hers' Canadian leadership team.
“Joining Hims & Hers represents a vital step forward in allowing us to be part of a global movement to democratize access to essential health care. By combining our expertise, we can begin to build the foundation to reach millions of Canadians across the country,” Arbour said.
Hims and Hers first announced its expansion into Canada in early July, seizing the opportunity as Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk faces losing Canadian patent protection for its popular semaglutide drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, after apparently failing to pay a small patent maintenance fee.
Novo Nordisk first received the patent in 2013, but it has now “expired and the cancellation period has expired,” according to the Canadian Patent Database. The Science report states that
Last paid an annual service fee in 2018, which at that time was $250.
Meanwhile, it will hold the US patent until at least 2032.
At this time, there is still no generic version of semaglutide approved by Health Canada on the market.
In a press release, Heems and Hears said nearly two-thirds of adults in Canada are overweight or living with obesity. Brand-name semaglutide, without accompanying clinical support, currently costs more than $200 per month in Canada.
The company said in July that the price of generic semaglutide is expected to be at a significant discount to brand-name versions and will decline over time.
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