| The pursuit of longevity isn’t just for Silicon Valley biohackers anymore. |
| Hims & Hers is likely to see a dent in its revenue from new limits on compounded weight loss drugs, so it’s searching for the next big product that'll drive its growth. |
| On Monday, when Hims announced first-quarter earnings, CEO Andrew Dudum said he’s eyeing long term opportunities in “longevity, sleep and preventative care.” He also gushed about peptide innovation and the prospect of bringing it to the masses. (Peptides have grown popular in the biohacking and anti-aging communities, but the regulation
behind much of the category is lacking.) |
| “You're going to start seeing offerings in the next couple of years that are more about gaining understandings of your health and taking that first step to be the most optimized you can for not only yourself, but also your family,” Dudum said. |
| He added later in the call that he anticipates a mass market in the next two to five years for whole body testing and scans, and polygenic risk scores for chronic conditions like Alzheimer’s disease at affordable prices that allow people to collect this information on an annual basis and shore up the body with vitamins and prescription medications. |
| There are a growing number of venture-backed startups trying to make this vision a reality. Earlier this week, buzzy lab testing company Function Health bought Ezra, a whole body MRI company, and the two said they’re lowering the cost of preventive scans to $499 from thousands of dollars. And a couple of weeks ago, Function competitor Superpower raised $30 million. |
| For Hims, moving into this realm would mark somewhat of a strategy shift: Most of the drugs it prescribes are aimed at fixing existing conditions that patients have self-diagnosed. Leaning into longevity and prevention would position it to help patients uncover conditions they’re at risk for or didn’t know they had. It also further aligns the startup with the Make America Healthy Again ethos (HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is big on peptides, apparently!). |
| But I’m not convinced longevity products will drive the explosive growth companies have seen from GLP-1 weight loss drugs. Elective testing and scans are expensive, and they’re rarely covered by insurance for preventive reasons. Plus, the evidence behind their use, and that of plenty of longevity/wellness products like certain supplements and popular peptides, is dubious. |
| Weight loss drugs might not be cheap either, but there was never doubt that they work. It’s that plain-to-see efficacy that was enough to convince millions to hand over their cash. |
| - Shelby |
