Hims & Hers(HIMS.US)Poaching Eli Lilly's PR powerhouse! Targeting brand weight loss drug new battleground

As remote healthcare company Hims & Hers Health (HIMS.US) prepares to enter a new phase of selling branded weight loss drugs, the company has hired Kathryn Beiser, who spent five years managing corporate communications at pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly (LLY.US). Beiser is a seasoned public relations professional who has held senior roles at several companies, including Kaiser Permanente. She left Lilly last year and officially joined Hims & Hers Health last month as Chief Communications Officer, reporting to CEO Andrew Dudum.

Dudum stated in a release, “At this critical moment, she is exactly the communications leader we need.” Beiser said that Hims & Hers Health is a company “where collaboration and a spirit of experimentation are embedded in everyone’s DNA,” and “that’s the kind of environment I believe can drive change.” Beiser’s appointment comes as the telehealth company undergoes a broader strategic transformation. Previously, Hims & Hers Health faced increasing legal and regulatory pressures over sales of counterfeit versions of popular weight loss drugs.

Hims & Hers Health announced that it will focus on providing branded drugs through new partnerships with Novo Nordisk (NVO.US), a major competitor of Lilly. This agreement, announced earlier this week, also ends months of ongoing disputes between the two companies. On Monday, both companies stated that Novo Nordisk has agreed to sell its flagship drugs Ozempic and Wegovy on the Hims & Hers platform, including the popular Wegovy oral tablets. Additionally, Novo Nordisk will withdraw a lawsuit filed against Hims & Hers last month. In return, Hims & Hers said it will no longer advertise its counterfeit versions of Novo Nordisk’s drugs. However, if doctors deem it necessary for patients, the company will still sell combined formulations of Wegovy and Ozempic.