The once-a-day pill, approved by U.S. regulators just before Christmas, is now available at significantly lower prices than the injectable varieties. It is the first and only pill on the market that mimics the GLP-1 hormone to suppress appetite, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Novo Nordisk, already known for its Wegovy and Ozempic injections for obesity and diabetes, said the launch “opens new possibilities for the more than 100 million Americans living with obesity.”
Self-paying patients can purchase the pill at $5 per day, or $149 a month for the starting 1.5mg dose. The 4mg dose is priced at $149 a month until April 15, after which it will rise to $199, while the highest doses cost $299 a month. Patients with insurance pay as little as $25 per month.
The pill is expected to appeal to a broader audience due to its affordability, needle-free administration, and convenience in daily routines.
Pharmaceutical analyst Matt Weston of UBS said the launch price was lower than anticipated. By comparison, U.S. list prices for weight-loss injections are around $1,000 a month, though Novo Nordisk began selling its Wegovy injection for cash-paying patients at $349 per month in November.
Novo Nordisk’s share price rose by more than 4% on Monday on news of the launch, but is still down by 44% over the past year amid fierce competition from US rival Eli Lilly’s jabs Mounjaro and Zepbound.
The Danish company, once the most valuable in Europe, hopes the pill will help it claw back market share after it issued several profit warnings, cut thousands of jobs and appointed new management last year.
Both Novo and Eli Lilly have reduced prices of their jabs for people buying them for cash, rather than using health insurance.
The Wegovy pill has only been approved in the US so far. The starting dose is now available at more than 70,000 US pharmacies such as CVS and Costco, as well as some telehealth providers including Ro, LifeMD and Weight Watchers. The higher doses will become available later this week.
