Novo Nordisk halves the price of Ozempic in the US
Novo Nordisk is rolling out a new direct-pay option for Ozempic, pricing the drug at $499 a month for uninsured patients or those who choose to pay out-of-pocket, according to a company press release. The program is available through both the company’s website and Ozempic.com.
“While Ozempic is broadly covered in the U.S., we can’t overlook the fact that some patients still pay cash for this important treatment. If even one person feels forced to turn to unsafe or unapproved copycat versions, that’s already too many,” said Dave Moore, head of U.S. operations. Coverage for GLP-1 drugs remains uneven: only about one in four employers say they cover the drugs for weight loss, though roughly three in four cover them for diabetes treatment.
The list prices highlight the stakes. In the U.S., Ozempic is priced at $997 and Wegovy at $1,349 before any discounts or insurance. Competitor Eli Lilly charges $1,079 for Mounjaro and $1,086 for Zepbound — and was the first to roll out a discounted direct-to-consumer model. Novo Nordisk’s new price push comes just weeks after it reported quarterly earnings that fell short of Wall Street forecasts, pressured by Lilly and by compounders offering cheaper, copycat GLP-1 alternatives. On a recent call with reporters, outgoing CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen described the compounder market as now “equal size to our business.”
The new Ozempic discount follows a similar move earlier this year, when Novo Nordisk made Wegovy available at the same $499 price point for cash buyers. Going forward, both drugs will also be offered at that price through GoodRx.
Separately, the company announced Friday that Wegovy has secured FDA approval for use in adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) who also have moderate to advanced fibrosis, but not cirrhosis. Patients must also follow calorie-reduction and exercise guidelines. Novo Nordisk said Wegovy is now the “first and only” GLP-1 therapy cleared by the FDA for this specific liver condition.