Direct-to-consumer telemedicine platform Hims & Hers launched a new weight loss program Monday that offers weight loss medications, educational content and digital tracking tools.
San Francisco-based Hims & Hers is a health and wellness platform that provides support for sexual health, hair, skin, primary care, mental health and other areas.
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The launch of the new weight loss offering comes at a time when more people are battling obesity. About 42% of U.S. adults struggle with obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Compare that to more than 20 years ago when a little over 30% struggled with obesity.
The company’s new program starts with a consultation with a licensed healthcare provider from Hims & Hers. If considered appropriate, the patient will then receive a personalized treatment plan that is based on several factors, including the person’s body, health history and goals.
The treatment plans have three elements. The first is access to medication, which can include personalized combinations of Bupropion, Metformin, Naltrexone and Topiramate with Vitamin B12. These are all older drugs that support weight loss in combination with diet and exercise. GLP-1s, which have gained a lot of media attention for their effectiveness in weight loss, are the new generation of drugs. However, these medications are not available on the platform at this time but may become available in the future, said Melissa Baird, chief operating officer of Hims & Hers.
“The platform will be capable of [providing GLP-1s], but we are waiting until the supply chain stabilizes a little bit with GLP-1s because we feel that offering our consumers reliable access to the medicines is pretty important,” Baird said in an interview. “We just don’t feel like we can do it right now.”
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At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
In addition to offering medications, the new weight loss program will provide educational content like nutrition guidance, recipes, information on mental health, exercise recommendations and sleep advice. Consumers will also be able to track their weight loss progress, as well as their water intake, exercise and sleep.
Consumers can access a base offering at $79 a month but the rate can vary depending on the treatment plan, according to Baird.
To lead the weight loss program, Hims & Hers appointed Dr. Craig Primack as the senior vice president of weight management. Primack is an obesity medicine certified physician and the founder of the Scottsdale Weight Loss Center in Arizona.
“After treating thousands of patients over the years, I’ve learned that people very commonly blame themselves for an inability to lose weight or maintain a recent weight loss. They then become frustrated with the restrictions and the cyclical nature of dieting,” Primack said in a statement. “We are shifting the paradigm in weight loss to help people curb cravings, decrease binge eating and maintain a healthy lifestyle.”
Baird echoed Primack’s comments, stating that the company aims to reduce the stigma behind obesity.
“People struggle with it, but they don’t like to talk about it,” she said. “There is advice everywhere, coming from all sides, about how to lose weight. As somebody who’s struggled with obesity myself, I have tried a whole lot of those things. I feel like we can offer [support] on a platform that people trust already.”
Several other companies have also launched weight loss offerings. LifeMD, a direct-to-consumer company, announced a weight management program in June that offers access to GLP-1s if considered appropriate, as well as clinical support, coaching and education. Noom also has a clinical obesity management solution called Noom Med that supports consumers and employers and includes medication management, education and nutrition and exercise tools.
Photo: puhimec, Getty Images
