⚖️ Hims & Hers Is Up On Deal With Novo Nordisk To Prescribe Wegovy Via Their Telehealth Services

In today’s newsletter I discuss Hims & Hers partners with Novo Nordisk to offer Wegovy via telehealth services, Brad Pitt to star in “The Riders” for A24, tariffs are causing a drop in domestic air travel, Temu is implementing 145% tariffs on customer purchases, Amazon launches 27 operational Kuiper satellites aboard ULA rocket, and Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham AFC secured an unprecedented third consecutive promotion to reach the Championship league.

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WHAT WE’RE READING

⚖️ Hims & Hers Is Up On Deal With Novo Nordisk To Prescribe Wegovy Via Their Telehealth Services

Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (HIMS) is surging today (pun intended) following an announcement that they’ve partnered with Novo Nordisk (NVO) to prescribe via their telehealth platform the weight loss drug Wegovy to their customers. This move marks a big move for Hims & Hers beyond their established presence in the sexual health market.

Hims & Hers initially gained popularity by offering convenient and discreet access to medications for conditions like erectile dysfunction and hair loss for men. The company built a strong brand around destigmatizing these health concerns and providing accessible online consultations and prescription fulfillment. This approach resonated with consumers, leading to substantial growth in its subscriber base, which reached 2.2 million by the end of 2024, a 45% year-over-year increase. This success is reflected in their 2024 financial results, with total revenue hitting nearly $1.5 billion, a remarkable 69% increase from the previous year.

Now, Hims & Hers is moving into the burgeoning weight loss market, capitalizing on the immense demand for effective treatments like Wegovy. Wegovy, manufactured by Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, has demonstrated significant success in clinical trials, leading to substantial weight loss in individuals with obesity or overweight with related medical conditions. In 2024, Wegovy generated $8 billion in global sales, more than doubling its sales from the previous year.

The collaboration allows Hims & Hers to offer a bundled service that includes all dose strengths of Wegovy, alongside a Hims & Hers membership. This membership provides 24/7 care access, ongoing clinical support, and nutrition guidance, all at a unified price starting at $599 per month. This integrated approach aims to provide comprehensive support for individuals on their weight loss journey. Notably, the partnership also integrates NovoCare® Pharmacy directly into the Hims & Hers platform, streamlining the prescription fulfillment and delivery process.

The partnership is expected to be a significant growth driver for Hims & Hers. The company's full-year 2025 revenue guidance is between $2.3 billion and $2.4 billion, with an adjusted EBITDA between $270 million and $320 million. By adding a high-demand medication like Wegovy to their offerings, Hims & Hers taps into a market projected to reach a trillion dollars by the end of the decade.

Novo Nordisk also benefits from this collaboration, expanding the reach of Wegovy to a broader patient base through the convenience of telehealth. This move comes at a time when there is increasing scrutiny on compounded versions of GLP-1 medications, the class to which Wegovy belongs, making access to authentic, FDA-approved treatments even more critical.

Hims & Hers, was once known for helping people with “other” kinds of performance issues, and now they’ve found a whole new way to help people lose weight.

🛫 Business

If there’s any upside to this whole tariff nightmare, maybe it’s that the cost of a flight is dropping. Domestic travel demand has softened, and now those flights down south to warmer weather are getting a little more budget-friendly.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting a 5.3% drop in airfare in March compared to last year. Even a couple of major airlines, including Delta, Southwest, and United, are scaling back their Summer flight schedules after initially anticipating a bustling Summer.

So finally consumers are winning something, right?

Sort of, but obviously not for a good reason, and it comes at a time when prices are rising on everyday goods (thanks to tariffs, which are a tax on consumers), meaning they have less money in their pockets to afford those flights in the first place.

You know who does have lots of money in their pockets? Rich people! But it turns out those tight-fisted Billionaires are scaling back their purchase of private planes, with a high-flying 49% of potential private airplane buyers reportedly abandoning purchase plans due to new tariffs and economic uncertainties.

See, rich people are just like you and I!

🎬 Entertainment

Brad Pitt is teaming up with Edward Berger, the visionary behind the movie “All Quiet on the Western Front,” for an adaptation of “The Riders”. A24 is producing, so you know that’ll guarantee the movie will be cinematically beautiful, and with Brad Pitt staring you know it’ll make bank.

💵 Tech

The world has turned upside down for Temu, the Chinese online retailer known for its ultra-low prices. On Monday, April 28, Temu announced that it has begun adding an "import charge" of 145% to its U.S. customer's bills.

This charge comes in direct response to the newly implemented 145% tariff on Chinese goods that the Trump administration put in place a few weeks ago.

Temu has begun to shift its business model, and is focusing on selling goods that are already in U.S. warehouses in an effort to avoid tariffs. At the same time they are seeking out new markets other than the U.S. to peddle their wares to where their customers won’t be subject to the 145% tariffs by the U.S..

Good luck trying to find another economy as large as the U.S. that wants to buy useless junk from Temu.

🚀 Space

Amazon has officially entered the satellite internet race, launching its first 27 operational Kuiper satellites aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket on Monday night This is the first step in Amazon’s ambitious project to build a 3,200 constellation, which is estimated to cost between $16.5 billion and $20 billion. 

Jeff Bezos' Amazon is going head-to-head with Elon Musk's Starlink, which already boasts over 7,105 operational satellites that currently dominate the majority of market share for satellite connectivity.

I’m sure a couple of billionaires, with type-A personalities, would never compete using their billions of dollars on something as big as who can build the biggest satellite constellation in space, right?

⚽ Sports

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham AFC secured an unprecedented third consecutive promotion to reach the Championship league. The team’s rising popularity, helped in part by their owner’s Hollywood investment and global attention from the "Welcome to Wrexham" documentary, has seen the club's revenue skyrocket to a record $34.5 million dollars, representing a 155% increase from a year ago. This boost in financials has allowed Wrexham AFC to repay its owners $19.36 million dollars in loans they made to the club, which is not almost debt-free to its shareholders.

Wrexham AFC is also moving forward with plans to expand their stadium to around 55,000 seats amidst a growing international fanbase. That’s going to cost a pretty penny, or as they call it in the UK a pence. Not to mention the salaries they pay their players is about to go up, with the average salary in the Championship league being around $1.07 million dollars annually.

Ryan Reynolds better get working on Dead Pool 4!

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irl Media NEWSLETTER is written, edited, and published by Chris Thompson.