The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2025
Hims & Hers aired the first Super Bowl ad for knockoff weight-loss drugs
Hims & Hers ran the first Super Bowl ad for knockoff GLP-1 drugs. Senators demanded FDA action. Novo Nordisk cut ties. Shares fell 35%.
Hims & Hers Health
What happened
In February 2025, Hims & Hers aired 'Sick of the System' — a 60-second Super Bowl LIX commercial promoting compounded injectable semaglutide, a knockoff version of Ozempic and Wegovy. It was the first Super Bowl advertisement ever to promote GLP-1 weight-loss treatments. The ad framed the product as a solution to America's obesity epidemic.
Senators Dick Durbin and Roger Marshall sent a joint letter to the FDA urging enforcement action, criticising the ad for promoting compounded semaglutide 'without disclosing side-effect or risk information.' Public health experts and industry trade groups condemned the ad. On September 9, 2025, the FDA sent Hims & Hers a warning letter as part of a broader enforcement effort targeting over 100 drug advertisers, faulting claims that compounded products contained 'the same active ingredient' as FDA-approved drugs.
In June 2025, Novo Nordisk — maker of Wegovy — terminated its collaboration with Hims & Hers, citing 'deceptive promotion and selling of illegitimate, knockoff versions of Wegovy that put patient safety at risk.' Hims & Hers shares fell roughly 35%. Multiple securities class action lawsuits were filed in the Northern District of California.
Why it happened
- The Super Bowl was the megaphone: buying the largest advertising platform in America to promote unapproved knockoff drugs guaranteed maximum scrutiny from regulators and competitors.
- The risk disclosure was absent: the ad framed compounded semaglutide as a solution to obesity without mentioning side effects — the omission was the regulatory trigger.
- The 'same active ingredient' claim was false: compounded semaglutide is not FDA-approved and the FDA warning letter confirmed the equivalence claim was misleading.
- The Novo Nordisk termination was the consequence: the maker of the original drug publicly called the partnership partner deceptive — a corporate rebuke that was also a legal signal.
The lesson
Buying a Super Bowl slot to promote unapproved knockoff drugs is a regulatory flare. When the FDA, two senators, and your pharma partner all move against you in the same year, the ad was the problem.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Hims & Hers Health (Super Bowl LIX ad and FDA enforcement section)
- FDA Warning Letter to Hims & Hers Health, Inc. dba Hers (MARCS-CMS 716825)
- CNBC — Novo Nordisk ends Wegovy deal with Hims & Hers
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