Novo Nordisk plans to slash prices of its listed price for weight loss drug Wegovy and diabetes drugs Ozempic and Rybelsus by up to half – starting in 2027 – in efforts to regain its market share over rival Eli Lilly, reports CNN.
The $675 monthly list price is aimed at making the GLP-1 medications more accessible for patients whose costs are linked to the list price, including those who have high deductibles or who pay co-insurance for medications through their plans.
Wegovy’s list price is currently $1 349 and Ozempic’s and Rybelsus’s list prices are $1 028, but those with insurance coverage can pay as little as $25 a month.
The move is the latest in the GLP-1 price wars between Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, which manufactures the weight loss drug Zepbound and diabetes drug Mounjaro.
Both companies are seeking to capture more of the soaring demand for obesity medications.
The list price change does not have an impact on the self-pay prices, the Danish drugmaker said. Prices for Wegovy pills through direct-to-consumer channels range from $149 to $299 a month, depending on dosage, while the Wegovy injectable pen costs $349 a month, with a discounted $199 price available for new patients for the first two months.
The Ozempic injectable pen costs between $349 and $499 a month, depending on dosage, with new self-pay patients paying $199 for the first two months.
Once the leader in GLP-1 medications, Novo Nordisk has lost ground to Eli Lilly, which now captures more new prescriptions for obesity medications. Last week it revealed disappointing weight loss results in a trial for CagriSema, its next-generation obesity drug.
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