The price of the popular GLP-1 medications will be cut, starting in January of 2027, manufacturer Novo Nordisk said in a statement Tuesday, Feb. 24
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NEED TO KNOW
- The manufacturer of popular GLP-1 medications Wegovy and Ozempic announced price cuts starting January 2027
- The drugs, along with the tablet Rybelsus, will cost $675 a month
- The current cost has been a “a real barrier to access and affordability,” a rep for Novo Nordisk says in a statement to PEOPLE
The maker of Wegovy and Ozempic announced that they’re slashing prices of its popular GLP-1 drugs by as much as 50%.
Beginning Jan. 1 of next year, the list price of Wegovy injections and the new Wegovy pill will be cut in half, and Ozempic injections will be cut by 35%, manufacturer Novo Nordisk said in a statement. The price cut applies to all doses. Along with Wegovy and Ozempic, the semaglutide tablet Rybelsus will now cost $675 a month.
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Ozempic and Wegovy are the brand names for semaglutide, a type of GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist) that works in the brain to impact satiety. However, they’re approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat different things. Under the name Ozempic, it’s approved to treat type 2 diabetes. Wegovy — in pill and injectable form — is FDA-approved for weight-loss management. Rybelsus is approved to reduce the risk of heart attacks in those with diabetes.
Wegovy injections and pills currently cost $1,349.02 a month, while Ozempic and Rybelsus run $1,027.51, according to figures emailed to PEOPLE from Novo Nordisk. Those with commercial insurance may pay as little as $25 per month, and those paying cash can pay anywhere from $149 to $499. Patients using Medicare will pay $274 per month.
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“There are more than 100 million people living with obesity and over 35 million with type 2 diabetes and, for some, list price has been a real barrier to access and affordability," Jamey Millar, Executive Vice President, US Operations of Novo Nordisk Inc., says in a statement emailed to PEOPLE. "The new $675 list price is a proactive move, specifically designed to help patients whose out-of-pocket costs are linked to list price, including those in high-deductible health plans or co-insurance designs that have become an ever-growing part of the market."
According to a health tracking survey conducted by KFF, 1 in 8 U.S. adults reported using a GLP-1 for weight loss or to manage a chronic condition, and more than half (54%) of the adults surveyed said it was difficult to afford them to afford the medication. One in five people (22%) say it was “very difficult.”
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