Novo Nordisk, GoodRx selling Ozempic at half cost for customers paying cash
Starting this week, customers will be able to buy a month's supply of Novo Nordisk's semaglutide pen products for $499 through GoodRx. The list price for a monthly supply of a product like Ozempic is normally around $1,000 or more without insurance.
'Demand for GLP-1 medications is at an all-time high, but too many Americans still face barriers accessing them,' GoodRx CEO and President Wendy Barnes said in a statement.
'By partnering with Novo Nordisk, we're taking a significant step forward in making these innovative brand-name treatments more accessible for millions of people who need them,' added Barnes. 'It's a powerful example of how the GoodRx platform can deliver savings at scale—bridging gaps in coverage and ensuring more people can get the care they deserve.'
This is the most recent in similar moves Novo Nordisk has made to make its popular diabetes and weight loss medication more widely available.
Earlier this year, the company announced a direct-to-patient program called NovoCare® Pharmacy for uninsured and underinsured individuals who can pay $499 a month for Wegovy. Novo Nordisk also partnered with online telehealth companies like Ro and LifeMD to sell its pens at the same price point.
The telehealth company Hims & Hers was also originally included in the partnership, but Novo Nordisk ended it after accusing the company of illegally selling compounded versions of semaglutide. Hims & Hers maintains it is providing personalized, compounded products within regulatory guidelines.
'Improving access to effective FDA-approved treatment is central to our mission, and our collaboration with GoodRx allows us to reach those who seek savings and support from their trusted and established platform,' Dave Moore, executive vice president of U.S. operations of Novo Nordisk, said in a statement.
'This initiative enables us to meet GoodRx patients where they are with our authentic GLP-1 medicines in addition to supporting the launch of the new Ozempic® self-pay offer for type 2 diabetes patients at an unprecedented price.'
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a prominent critic of high drug costs, called the announcement a 'modest step forward.'
'Novo Nordisk's move to cut the price of Ozempic to $499 for the uninsured is a modest step forward, but let's not forget,' Sanders said on the social media platform X. 'Ozempic costs just $59 in Germany while it costs less than $5 to make. The U.S. must no longer pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs.
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