Type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic and weight loss medication Wegovy cost hundreds of dollars more in the U.S. than similar nations, and Novo Nordisk is profiting so much that Denmark's economy is shifting.
Here are five recent updates on Ozempic:
1. A study compared the list prices of popular GLP-1 receptor agonists — Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Rybelsus — in 10 wealthy nations. Researchers found that patients are paying between $750 to $1,000 more in the U.S. for a month's supply compared to other nations, including Japan and Germany.
2. The surge in U.S. sales of Ozempic and Wegovy has caused Novo Nordisk, based in Denmark, to convert dollars into kroner in unusually large quantities, The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 17. This has resulted in lower interest rates in the nation and raised the company to be the second-most valuable public company in Europe — the first is luxury brand LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
3. Ozempic might be on the table for CMS' upcoming price talks once it has been on the market for 10 years, which is 2028, according to an analysis on which drugs are most likely to be in CMS-drugmaker negotiations.
4. Although payers are hesitant to cover weight loss drugs, 80 percent of surveyed adults said insurers should cover drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy for adults diagnosed as overweight or obese, according to a KFF survey. Nearly 1 in 2 respondents, or 45 percent, said they would be interested in taking a safe and effective drug to lose weight.
5. A woman in Louisiana filed a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly in early August with claims that the drug companies did not adequately warn patients about the risk of gastroparesis, or stomach paralysis, with Ozempic and Mounjaro.