Drugs

Cut Ozempic/Wegovy Price: HELP Committee

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, says the committee is calling on Novo Nordisk to significantly reduce the cost of its Ozempic (semaglutide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) in the United States. He says the committee has opened an investigation into the “outrageously high prices that Novo Nordisk charges for Ozempic and Wegovy in the United States.”

In a statement (includes a link to a letter to the company CEO), Sanders says the drugs will be of no use to patients who can’t afford them and have the potential to bankrupt Medicare, Medicaid, and the country’s healthcare system. “The United States Congress and the federal government cannot allow that to happen,” he says.

According to Sanders, Novo Nordisk charges Americans with Type 2 diabetes $969/month for Ozempic, while the same drug is available for $155 in Canada and $59 in Germany. Likewise, he says, the company charges Americans with obesity $1,349/month for Wegovy, while the same product can be bought for $140 in Germany and $92 in the UK.

“Novo Nordisk’s prices are especially outrageous given a recent report from researchers at Yale University that found both of these drugs can be profitably manufactured for less than $5/month,” Sanders says. “In my view, the American people should not have to pay up to $1,349 a month for prescription drugs that cost less than $5 to manufacture and can be purchased at a fraction of this price in other developed countries.”

Sanders asks Novo “to substantially reduce the price of Ozempic and Wegovy so that these important drugs can be available to Americans with Type 2 diabetes and obesity.” He asks the company to respond to these questions:

whether Novo Nordisk will substantially reduce the list price and the net price of both Ozempic and Wegovy;
for each calendar year since each drug was approved by FDA, the cost of goods sold, the volume sold, the revenue generated by payer type, and the prices paid by government payers;
specified patent information;
all communications related to the price of the product in the U.S., the lifecycle management of the product or product line; any strategy to protect or extend the product or product line’s exclusivity; the potential or actual generic competition for the product; any agreement on an authorized generic for the product’ and any agreement with another company concerning a potential or actual competitor product;
the company’s spending on research and development in each year directly related to Ozempic and Wegovy; and
an explanation why Novo charges nearly $400 per month more for Wegovy than Ozempic, given they are the same drug.

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