Pharma Pulse: Lilly and Hims & Hers Team Up, Swisslog Expands Tenutō Cold Storage

Welcome to Pharma Pulse, a Pharmaceutical Commerce podcast bringing you the latest insights shaping patient access, regulatory policy, and healthcare innovation. I’m your host, and let’s get into today’s headlines.

First up, Eli Lilly and Hims & Hers have reached an agreement to expand access to Zepbound (tirzepatide) and Foundayo (orforglipron) through the telehealth company’s platform.¹ Eligible patients prescribed one of the drugs by a licensed provider on Hims & Hers can get the same self-pay prices available to any patient without leaving the platform. The consultation, prescription and home delivery all happen in one place.

Lilly’s deal follows a similar agreement Novo Nordisk struck in March to offer Wegovy and Ozempic on Hims & Hers at its self-pay prices. That deal ended a patent infringement suit Novo had filed against the telehealth company earlier this year.² According to the telehealth company, Hims & Hers has never offered compounded copies of Lilly’s GLP-1s and committed not to do so in the future.

In a press release, Ilya Yuffa, president of Lilly USA and global customer capabilities, said the agreement gives Hims & Hers patients “a simple, more direct way to get FDA-approved Lilly medicine at an affordable price if prescribed.”¹ The deal adds another self-pay GLP-1 channel outside the manufacturers’ own platforms.

Next, Swisslog Healthcare is expanding its Tenutō line of medical refrigerators and freezers as pharmacies take on more temperature-sensitive therapies. The company recently introduced two dedicated freezer lines. Tenutō Freeze comes in -25°C and -40°C versions. Tenutō Ultra is an ultra-low temperature line that cools to -86°C for the most sensitive products, including select gene therapies.³ Citing ASHP, Swisslog notes that 43% of medications introduced to the US market between 2018 and 2023 require cold chain storage.³ Monitoring features include USB data logging of temperatures and alarms for compliance and auditing, optional integration with hospital building management systems and a backup battery that keeps alarms running during power outages.

“The demand for reliable cold chain storage has never been greater,” said Jessica Ledesma, product manager, global pharmacy automation, Swisslog Healthcare.³ Swisslog also named PharmaSystems as its distribution partner in Canada and Health Care Logistics in the US. It timed the launch ahead of the ASHP 2026 Midyear Conference.

Lastly, the FDA is requiring a new warning across the entire GLP-1 receptor agonist class. In a drug safety communication this week, the agency said application holders for every GLP-1 must add the potential increased risk of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) to the warnings and precautions section of their labeling.⁴ NAION is a rare condition that can cause sudden, painless vision loss in one eye.

The signal emerged after approval. Exenatide, the first GLP-1 RA, was approved in 2005 and semaglutide in 2017, but FDA’s review was prompted by a July 2024 observational study in JAMA Ophthalmology.⁴

Still, NAION remains rare in FDA’s review of both clinical trial and real-world data. And because the warning covers every marketed GLP-1, from Ozempic and Wegovy to Mounjaro, Zepbound and Foundayo, no brand gains a safety edge over another.⁴

Brand teams will need to work the new warning into the risk information in their promotional materials, and FDA is asking prescribers to tell patients to report sudden vision changes right away.⁴

That’s it for this episode of Pharma Pulse. For more insights on trends transforming pharmaceutical access, visit pharmaceuticalcommerce.com. Thanks for listening, until next time, stay well and stay informed.

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References

1. Hims & Hers. “Lilly and Hims & Hers Expand Access to FDA-Approved Lilly Medicines.” November 6, 2026. Accessed November 11, 2026. https://news.hims.com/newsroom/lilly-and-hims-hers-expand-access-to-fda-approved-lilly-medicines
2. Novo Nordisk. “Novo Nordisk Expands US Patient Access to FDA-Approved Semaglutide Medicines Through Hims & Hers in Response to a Shift in Their US GLP-1 Business Model.” March 9, 2026. Accessed November 11, 2026. https://www.novonordisk.com/news-and-media/news-and-ir-materials/news-details.html?id=916512
3. Swisslog Healthcare. “Swisslog Healthcare’s Tenutō Delivers Safer Cold Chain Storage for Advanced Therapies.” Business Wire. November 10, 2026. Accessed November 11, 2026. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261110860274/en/Swisslog-Healthcares-Tenut-Delivers-Safer-Cold-Chain-Storage-for-Advanced-Therapies
4. US Food and Drug Administration. “FDA Requires Safety Labeling Changes for Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAs) Due to Potential Increased Risk of Rare But Serious Eye Condition.” November 9, 2026. Accessed November 11, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-communications/fda-requires-safety-labeling-changes-glucagon-peptide-1-receptor-agonists-glp-1-ras-due-potential