Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has canceled a Senate committee vote that would have determined whether to subpoena Novo Nordisk executives about the cost of the drugmaker's blockbuster drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy. The move comes as Novo Nordisk's CEO agreed to participate in a Senate committee hearing set for September.
On June 11, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions — chaired by Mr. Sanders — said it would vote on whether to subpoena Novo Nordisk's president. The committee has repeatedly criticized the drugmaker for charging U.S. patients 10 to 15 times more for the popular GLP-1 therapies than it does in other countries. Days after news of the scheduled subpoena vote, Mr. Sanders' office announced Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Jørgensen agreed to testify in a solo hearing before the HELP Committee in early September.
"I enjoyed the opportunity of chatting with Mr. Jørgensen this afternoon and thank him for agreeing to voluntarily testify on a solo panel before the HELP Committee on the high cost of Ozempic and Wegovy in the United States," Mr. Sanders said in a June 14 statement. "The scheduled subpoena vote is no longer necessary and will be canceled.
"We look forward to discussing solutions that ensure access and affordability for all patients within the complex U.S. healthcare system," a Novo Nordisk spokesperson said in a statement sent to Becker's.
In May, Mr. Sanders warned Ozempic, approved to treat Type 2 diabetes, and Wegovy, approved for weight loss and serious heart conditions, could bankrupt the nation's healthcare system. The report estimated that if half of Americans took the drugs, it would cost $411 billion annually.
Novo Nordisk has denounced lawmakers' heightened scrutiny on list prices of the medications, calling it "misplaced and unfair." The drugmaker said it spent more than $10 billion to develop the drugs and that its list prices incorporate additional costs, including billions in investments the company has made to boost production.
In the U.S., the list price for a month's supply of Ozempic is around $1,000 and $1,349 for Wevovy. In Germany, the prices for a four-week supply are $59 and $140, respectively.