Novo Nordisk to sell Wegovy weight-loss pill in US
Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is launching the once-daily Wegovy pill in the United States.
It is offering 1.5-milligram and 4-mg doses for $US149 ($A223) a month for self-paying patients from Monday in the fiercely competitive weight-loss drug market.
The pill was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration last month, a boon as Novo Nordisk tries to regain ground lost to US rival Eli Lilly.
Lilly expects U.S. approval for its weight-loss pill, likely by March.
The Wegovy pill could attract new consumers as Novo tries to revive its fortunes after profit warnings and falling shares last year.
The pill offers more flexibility and an alternative for those who dislike the needles used in injectable medications.
Shares of the Danish drugmaker rose more than 2.0 percent in late morning trading.
Lilly shares fell nearly 1.0 percent in U.S. premarket trading.
A key part of the pill’s success will be attracting cash-paying consumers who cannot afford insurance coverage; This will be a sharp shift from the dominant business model in which drug pricing is managed through health insurance plans.
The lower dose of 1.5 mg is the starting dose of the Wegovy pill, which consists of semaglutide, the same active ingredient found in blockbuster injectable weight loss and diabetes treatments marketed under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic.
Novo also offers a 1.5 mg starting dose for the oral semaglutide drug for type 2 diabetes, sold as Rybelsus.
Novo’s pill will also be sold in a higher long-term dose of 9 mg and 25 mg.
The drugmaker’s website showed the two higher doses will be priced at $299 for a one-month supply, while the 4-mg dose will rise to $199 starting April 15.
If approved, Lilly plans to cap higher doses of its obesity pill at $399 per month for regular cash buyers.
Lilly’s injectable drug Zepbound was largely ahead of Novo’s Wegovy in weekly U.S. prescriptions last year.
US list prices for injectable medications are approximately $1,000 or more per month.
Both companies have lowered injectable drug prices for customers who pay cash instead of using health insurance.
Novo began selling the Wegovy injection in November for $349 per month to cash payers.
Under the agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump, Novo and Lilly also agreed to offer starting doses of the weight-loss pills to Medicare and Medicaid enrollees for $149 per month and to pay cash payments to payers through the White House’s new direct-to-consumer TrumpRx site, which is expected to launch this month.
Novo’s injectable drugs, which belong to a class of therapeutics known as GLP-1, have seen unprecedented demand in recent years, leading to supply constraints in 2024.
Prior to the pill’s launch, Novo said it was manufacturing the pill in North Carolina and had been producing supplies for some time.
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