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President Donald Trump on Thursday announced deals for gianciscial giants
Under the plan, Novo Nordisk said the lowest doses of Wegovy would cost $149 a month to deliver, if approved, and would be extended to all direct company offerings. The company also confirmed plans to reduce the prices of its prescription drugs, including Wegovy and Ozempic, under Medicare and co-payment channels. Novo Nordisk said it is reviewing its US self-pay prices and expects to announce renewed offers for Wegovy and Ozempic in the coming weeks.
Trump called the deals “a victory for American patients that will save lives and improve the health of millions and millions of Americans.”
For self-paying patients, Lilly said it will offer zepbound starting at $299 at a very low price and compared to the highest prices in Europe with Protract Prigital Phigital Platform, LillyDirect. OrforGGGGGIPLOn, Lilly’s once-a-day obesity pill awaiting Federal approval, will also start at $149 for the lowest dose. Medicane beneficiaries will pay no more than $50 per month for zepbound and orforeaglon.
Additional drugs, including Emgality, Trululicity and monjaro, will be added to lillydirect at 50% to 60% off current prices.
Wegovy, Ozempic: Barriers to accessing these weight loss drugs
An injection pen for the zepbound drug, Eli Lilly’s Weight-Lost-Lost-Loff, is displayed in New York City, on December 11, 2023. (Reuters / Brendan MCERMID / Photos Photos)
GLP-1 medications work by mimicking natural hormone pathways in the body to help control appetite, increase feelings of fullness and improve blood sugar control. They were originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, but in recent years have been approved specifically for obesity under the same names as Wegovy and Zepbound.
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Medicines have been difficult to obtain, mainly due to inadequate insurance coverage and out-of-pocket costs. There are also supply constraints as demand for the label has exploded. Patients, including high profile figures, were turning to Ozempic and Mounjaro for weight loss.
Packages of the weight loss drug Wegovy from the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk lie on the sales counter of a Danish pharmacy. The drug, which has caused quite a stir, is due to be introduced to the German market at the end of July 2023. (Steffen TrumpF/Photo Alliance via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Both companies have told Fox Business they are involved in discussions to increase affordability and increase patient access to their drugs, in line with the popular Drug Review that wants to lower drug prices in the US
Meanwhile, both companies have already launched their own consumer-build platforms aimed at increasing patient access by breaking new-fangled barriers.
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Novo Nordisk launched its platform, Novocarepharcy, in March, which allows patients who cannot afford the standard list price or who do not have insurance coverage for their preferred drugs Wegovy and Ozempic.
Still life for Victoza and Wegovy. Both are related to prescription weight loss medications. (Michael Siluk / UCG / Urfery Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Lilly’s platform, LillyDirect, launched at the beginning of 2024, allows some consumers who are uninsured or restricted or in general to enter zepbound and monjaro directly from Eli Lilly without going through insurance.
