Novo Nordisk cuts price for Ozempic, Wegovy. How much weight-loss, anti-obesity, diabetes medicines will cost?

Novo Nordisk, which is struggling with competition for its anti-obesity treatments, said on Tuesday that it will sharply cut prices for its flagship drugs in the US, announcing a 50 percent cut for Wegovy and 35 percent for Ozempic. Effective January 1, 2027, the "decision applies to all doses of these medicines and reflects Novo Nordisk's commitment to enhancing affordability for patients and both public and private payers dealing with the complexities of the evolving US healthcare system," the company said in a statement.


The Danish drugmaker said on Tuesday its triple agonist UBT251 of the receptors ‌for GLP-1, ⁠GIP ⁠and glucagon, jointly developed with ​United Biotechnology, achieved a statistically significant mean ​weight loss of up to 19.7 per cent after 24 weeks in ​a trial.



The trial, ⁠conducted ‌by United Biotechnology, ​investigated the ​safety and efficacy of ⁠once weekly injectable 2 milligram (mg), ​4 mg and 6 ​mg doses of UBT251 compared to placebo in Chinese people with overweight or obesity, Novo Nordisk said ‌in a statement.


From a baseline mean body weight ​of 92.2 ​kilogrammes, the ⁠highest mean weight loss observed for people treated with UBT251 was 19.7 per cent ​compared to 2.0 per cent in the placebo group after 24 weeks of treatment, Novo said.


The ⁠price cuts will be effective January ​1 next year, coinciding with the implementation of new, ​lower prices for the same drugs under federal Medicare health plans for ​older adults.


The market for ⁠so-called GLP-1 ‌drugs has been getting increasingly ​competitive, ​while the broader shift ⁠to consumer-driven cash-pay channels is making price points ​more sensitive.


Both Ozempic and Wegovy will ​list for $675 a month from next year, half the current price for Wegovy and a 35 per cent cut for diabetes treatment Ozempic.


The price cuts ‌also will apply to Wegovy and Rybelsus pills.


This decision ​applies to ​all doses ⁠of these medicines and reflects Novo Nordisk's commitment to enhancing affordability for patients and both ​public and private payers dealing with the complexities of the evolving U.S. healthcare system, the company said.