Drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk announced Wednesday that it will offer a program directly from patients so that uninsured and uninsured individuals can pay cash at significantly reduced costs for weight-reduced products.
The drugmaker has appointed a new program, Novocare® Pharmacy. It sells all dose strengths from Wegovy for $499 per month. Most patients pay a monthly out-of-pocket of zero to $25 each month, according to the company, and the new program is aimed at eligible people who use uninsured or non-obesity medication insurance plans.
Wegovy's monthly supply price is $1,349.
“Novocare® Pharmacy is expanding its company's product toolkit to meet the diverse needs of people living with obesity,” the company said in a press release, saying it has recently confirmed that the announcement is in the form of Wegovy and Ozempic, GLP-1 medical Semaglutide.
Wegovy is a type of semaglutide that is particularly shown for weight loss. The federal insurance program is currently prohibited from covering weight loss medications, so groups of insured persons who may not be able to access it are Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare enrollees may receive compensation for medication if they are prescribed for other signs, for lower risk of cardiovascular death, heart attacks, or stroke.
Wegovy and Ozempic were both listed on the FDA's drug shortage list, but the compounding pharmacies were able to sell copycat versions of Semaglutide at a significantly reduced price. These products were not FDA approved and were not covered by the insurance company.
The agency's guidelines provide some time for patients transitioning to FDA-approved versions of drugs using combined drugs, and this new program from Novo Nordisk appears to cater to individuals used to obtaining Semaglutide at reduced rates without insurance.
The cost of the combined version of semaglutide sold by online telehealth providers ranged from $150 to $280 for a month's supply.
“Novo Nordisk continues to advance patient solutions that improve affordability and access to medication, whether they are insured or not. Today, over 55 million people in the US, with Wegovy®, 90% of Wegovy® coverage patients pay $0-$25 a month on Wegovy®.
Eli Lily, manufacturer of the GLP-1 drug tilzepatide, moved last year to offer drugs in demand at cost-saving costs by offering the option to buy in a single-dose vial rather than an automatic injector.
