Following jousts between Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Novo Nordisk, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will vote June 18 on whether to subpoena the drugmaker's president about the cost of Ozempic and Wegovy.
Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of popular therapies Ozempic and Wegovy, charges U.S. patients 10 to 15 times more for the medicines than it does in other countries, according to the HELP Committee. In the U.S., a four week's supply of Ozempic is listed at $969, and Wegovy is listed at $1,349.
A Novo Nordisk spokesperson told Becker's the drugmaker deems the subpoena unnecessary.
"Every time the chairman [Mr. Sanders] has made a request to Novo Nordisk, we have responded and cooperated," the spokesperson said. "On multiple occasions, we have communicated our CEO's willingness to testify and offered several dates for a hearing. Based on our continued cooperation, we feel that issuing a subpoena is unnecessary."
In April, the committee launched an investigation into the cost of Ozempic, a Type 2 diabetes drug, and Wegovy, a weight loss medicine that's indicated for serious heart problems. Mr. Sanders warned that these drugs could bankrupt the healthcare industry, but Novo Nordisk defended the list prices.
In a May 24 letter to Mr. Sanders, the Denmark-based pharmaceutical company said Novo Nordisk will work with lawmakers to address "systemic issues so that everyone who can benefit from its medicines is able to get them," but argued that focusing on list prices for the drugs is misplaced since it retains about 60% of profit after rebates and fees are paid to middlemen.
In 2023, U.S. pharmacies, clinics and hospitals spent $38.6 billion on semaglutide, the main ingredient for Ozempic and Wegovy. The cost was a 100.1% increase from 2022 expenditure rates, according to research published April 24 in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.
The letter also said the company's list prices incorporate other costs, such as billions of dollars worth of investments to boost production.
In the U.S., the net price for Ozempic is about $600, and Wegovy is about $809, the committee said in a June 11 news release. In Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Canada, the drugs' list prices are between $59 and $265 for a four-week supply.
The committee scheduled a July 10 hearing about the price differences, which might include testimony from Doug Langa, executive vice president of North American operations and president of Novo Nordisk, if the committee votes in favor of the subpoena.
"We are committed to a hearing that aligns with the chairman's established committee practices and to developing meaningful solutions to enhance patient access and affordability," the Novo Nordisk spokesperson said.