Novo Nordisk has rapidly expanded its discounted Wegovy initiative, currently providing all qualifying cash-paying consumers access to its sought-after weight-loss medication for $499 monthly.
Novo only recently introduced the more affordable Wegovy alternative via its NovoCare Pharmacy and indicated plans to expand into conventional retail channels in the not-too-distant future.
Now, within a span of less than three weeks, any cash-paying customers may get any Wegovy injectable doses—from 0.25 mg to 2.4 mg—at their nearby drugstore for $499 for a 28-day supply, as stated by Novo on Monday. The revised pricing is a further reduction from Novo’s prior policy, which provided self-pay patients with Wegovy at a monthly fee of $650.
Individuals engaged in government-subsidized healthcare programs are ineligible for this offer. According to Novo, the majority of insured patients may incur out-of-pocket expenses ranging from $0 to $25 per month for Wegovy.
“With the evolution of our Wegovy savings program, we continue to deliver options that empower people living with obesity to more easily pursue their weight management and health goals,” Dave Moore, Novo’s Executive Vice President of U.S. operations and global business development, stated.
Novo originally emulated competitor Eli Lilly by launching its $499-per-month Wegovy without commercial insurance coverage. One month previously, Lilly introduced its $499 competitor weight-loss medication, Zepbound, solely via the company’s LillyDirect Self Pay Pharmacy Solutions. Since that time, the Indianapolis pharmaceutical company has been providing the 2.5 mg dosage of Zepbound for a monthly cost of $349, while the 5 mg, 7.5 mg, and 10 mg doses are available for $499 per month for self-paying customers.
With the recent growth into conventional retail pharmacy, Novo has gained an edge against Lilly.
The two pharmaceutical firms specializing in obesity treatments are competing for a potentially lucrative market and have introduced self-pay schemes, since compounding pharmacies have been distributing generic copies of GLP-1 medications amidst a worldwide shortage.
The FDA has just removed semaglutide and tirzepatide, the active ingredients in Wegovy and Zepbound, from its medication shortage list. In response, GLP-1 compounders have filed a lawsuit against the FDA, alleging that the agency improperly announced the end of the GLP-1 medicine shortage. Lilly and Novo have both participated in the litigation.
Last week, the FDA issued a statement reiterating concerns over unapproved variants of Wegovy and Zepbound due to insufficient control of safety, efficacy, and quality. The FDA identified many serious events, some necessitating hospitalization, potentially linked to dosage mistakes of compounded injectable semaglutide items.
By the end of February, the FDA recorded 455 complaints of adverse events associated with compounded semaglutide and 320 incidents related to compounded tirzepatide.
In addition to the two marketed medications, the FDA emphasized Lilly’s investigational GIP/GLP-1/glucagon triple agonist retratrutide, stating that it is prohibited for use in compounding under federal law.
