Ark Health Reviews

Ark Health is an online brand affiliated with telehealth provider Beluga Health offering medical weight loss treatments. Patients visit with their providers only through online consultations and communicate via an online portal in between appointments.

Based on weight loss goals and health history, patients are prescribed name-brand or compounded medications that are shipped directly to their doorsteps.

Ark Health starts with an online medical intake and health history. Ark Health then requires an online consultation with a licensed health care provider, who personalizes a treatment plan and prescribes medication.

Once your medications are shipped and you receive them, you start treatment and regularly check in with your health care provider. Your provider monitors your progress and makes adjustments to your medication as necessary.

You’ll take your medications as prescribed and follow your treatment plan until your prescription period ends, you choose to end your membership or you reach your weight loss goals.

Ark Health says its providers are available to guide patients along their treatment plans, answer questions and address concerns. Members can reach their health care team through an online portal if they have questions in between telehealth visits.

Ark Health says it offers brand-name Ozempic and Mounjaro as well as compounded versions of semaglutide (the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Ozempic) and tirzepatide (the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Mounjaro) and a compounded oral semaglutide treatment.

Ark Health providers prescribe several different medications, including:

• Oral compounded semaglutide: Although originally developed for people with diabetes, semaglutide is helpful for both diabetics and nondiabetics seeking to lose weight and manage blood sugar levels.

  Different doses of semaglutide have been approved in the form of different drugs for different purposes. Taken by mouth, this medicine works similarly to a natural hormone made by the body to regulate appetite and insulin.

  Compounded semaglutide is manufactured by pharmacies and may or may not use identical ingredients to branded medications.

• Injectable compounded semaglutide: Patients who are obese or overweight can take injectable semaglutide to help regulate appetite and lose weight.

  Just like other drugs designed to mimic glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), this medication is now used both for weight loss and diabetes treatment.

  Ark Health sends prefilled injection pens to simplify taking your medication. Compounded semaglutide isn’t the same as brand-name semaglutide, so it’s worthwhile to discuss taking it with your provider first.

• Injectable compounded tirzepatide: Tirzepatide is an injectable drug mimicking GLP-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). Ark Health ships prefilled tirzepatide injection pens.
• Mounjaro injectable pen: A name-brand medication that mimics GLP-1 and GIP hormones, Mounjaro is available in prefilled pens. Of note: Mounjaro is Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved to treat Type 2 diabetes. It is also approved to help obese people lose weight who have one or more weight-related health issues.
• Ozempic injectable pen: This injectable medication mimics GLP-1. Originally designed for diabetics, Ozempic is a name-brand drug offered as a prefilled pen. Ozempic is approved for adults with Type 2 diabetes.

It is important to note that some pharmacies currently are providing a compounded version of semaglutide and tirzepatide at a lower cost. This practice may currently provide a more cost-effective solution.

However, it should be noted that compounded drugs are not formally approved by the FDA. FDA-approved medicines are formulated under strict regimens and protocols to ensure safety and reproducibility.

In addition, compounding pharmacies can only produce certain medicines if there is a specific need for an individual patient (e.g., if the patient can’t tolerate an FDA-approved medicine because of the formulation) or if FDA declares a drug shortage.

A spokesperson from the FDA recently told ConsumerAffairs in an email that it is working to determine if the semaglutide shortage meets the FDA’s definition of a resolved shortage.

Ark Health costs depend on the prescribed medication you’ll receive as part of your treatment plan. With compounded medication, typical monthly costs range from $220 to $1,499 per month, with free shipping included.

Ark Health medication list price examples, before any discounts

According to Ark Health, there are no hidden fees, and there is consistent pricing at all dosages. Shipping is free and expedited. There is a membership fee that is part of the diagnosis online visit; the fee is charged monthly.

Yes, Ark Health is legitimate and licensed to provide telehealth medical weight loss consultations and prescriptions for eligible patients. Ark Health matches patients with licensed health care providers who personalize treatment plans and prescribe medications that are targeted to individuals based on health and goals.

However, it should be noted that it offers compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide. Compounded medications are not formally approved by the FDA and are technically only supposed to be used under certain conditions.