Hims & Hers Takes Aim At Big Pharma In Controversial Super Bowl Ad — Retail Loves The Fight

Shares of Hims & Hers Health Inc. jumped nearly 4% in early premarket trading Monday, on track for fresh record highs, after the company aired a provocative Super Bowl ad that targeted Big Pharma and the U.S. weight-loss industry.

The 60-second spot titled "Sick of the System" was originally uploaded on YouTube at the end of January. 

It aired Sunday night on Fox and positioned obesity as "America's deadliest epidemic" while criticizing the $160 billion weight-loss industry and the broader healthcare system. 

Overlaid with Childish Gambino's 2018 song "This is America," the ad highlighted the high cost of popular weight-loss drugs without directly naming them.

However, it promoted Hims' own lower-cost compounded alternatives as "doctor-trusted" and "life-changing" solutions.

The ad ignited a surge in retail chatter on Stocktwits, with Hims' sentiment trending 'extremely bullish' and the ticker ranking among the platform's top-trending symbols before the bell. 

One popular post called the ad "misunderstood but on point," arguing that Big Pharma has been overcharging patients for years and that Hims is breaking the status quo. 

Some traders even set ambitious price targets, with one user calling for "$60 by end of week!" — implying a 35% jump from the last close.

However, the commercial has also triggered regulatory scrutiny. 

The New York Times reported that senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) wrote to the FDA, warning that the ad "risks misleading patients" by failing to disclose potential side effects or safety risks. 

The Partnership for Safe Medicines reportedly called the ad "dangerous" and urged Fox Corporation to withdraw it, citing concerns over compounded semaglutide labeling and transparency.

Hims & Hers fired back, in a statement to several media outlets, accusing industry groups of trying to "cancel" an ad that "directly calls out how they are part of a system that fails to prioritize the health of Americans."

The telehealth company, known for selling hair loss and sexual health treatments, entered the weight-loss drug market last year by offering compounded semaglutide at a cheaper cost than Novo’s drugs. 

The FDA permits sales of such compounded drugs only when there is a national shortage.

Hims & Hers' stock has been on a meteoric rise, already up over 75% year-to-date and more than quadrupling over the past 12 months.

According to Koyfin data, it also boasts a high short interest of 25.9%.

The company is set to report fourth-quarter earnings in two weeks, with Wall Street expecting the company to swing to an adjusted profit of $0.10 per share on a revenue of $469.68 million. 

Hims & Hers has beaten estimates on both fronts in the past four quarters. 

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