Novo Nordisk cuts cash prices for Wegovy and Ozempic
Boxes of Ozempic and Wegovy manufactured by Novo Nordisk at a pharmacy in London on March 8, 2024.
Hollie Adams | Reuters
Novo Nordisk On Monday, the company said it has cut the direct-to-consumer prices of its blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy and its diabetes counterpart Ozempic, adding to efforts by the company and the Trump administration to make the treatments more accessible.
The Danish drugmaker is cutting the price of the medication for existing cash-paying patients from $499 per month to $349 per month. However, Novo Nordisk said the cash cost for the highest Ozempic dose will remain $499 per month.
Also on Monday, Novo Nordisk launched a temporary introductory offer that allows new, cash-paying patients to get access to the lowest two doses of Wegovy and Ozempic for the first two months of treatment for $199 per month. After this period, customers will transition to the new standard monthly direct customer rate. The company’s introductory offer ends March 31st.
The announcements come days after President Donald Trump struck deals with Novo Nordisk and its main rival Eli Lilly to make it easier for Americans to access and pay for their popular GLP-1 drugs. Those deals include lowering the prices the government pays for the drugs, introducing Medicare coverage of obesity drugs for the first time to certain patients and offering discounted drugs on the government’s new direct-to-consumer website called TrumpRx, which launches in January.
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“Our new savings offers have an immediate impact and provide greater cost savings for those who currently do not have insurance coverage or choose to self-pay,” Dave Moore, head of Novo Nordisk’s U.S. business, said in a press release. “It is part of a broader strategy to expand access that includes building relationships with telehealth providers and major retailers, expanding coverage and working with the administration to reduce costs for people with chronic diseases such as obesity.”
The Trump administration said starting doses of existing shots like Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s weight-loss drug Zepbound would be $350 a month at TrumpRx, but would drop to $245 a month over two years.
On the day the deals were announced, Eli Lilly said it would cut prices by $50 on its own direct-to-consumer platform LillyDirect, which Zepbound already offers at a discount for cash-paying patients. Zepbound’s multi-dose pen will be available in the lowest dose for $299 per month, with additional doses costing up to $449 per month.
Novo Nordisk’s new cash payment offerings are available through Wegovy.com or Ozempic.com, the company’s direct pharmacy, NovoCare and other participating organizations and telemedicine providers that work directly with the drug manufacturer, including Costco, GoodRxWeightWatchers, Ro, LifeMD and eMed.
