Novo Nordisk will significantly lower the list prices of its popular diabetes and weight-loss medications, Ozempic and Wegovy, beginning January 1, 2027, the Danish pharmaceutical company announced Tuesday.
The price of Ozempic, a semaglutide injection used to treat type 2 diabetes, will be reduced by 35 percent. Both Wegovy, as well a semaglutide injection indicated for weight loss, and Rybelsus, Novo Nordisk’s oral semaglutide tablet for type 2 diabetes, will spot a 50 percent price cut. The new list price for Rybelsus will be $675 per month, according to the company.
“Lowering the list price of Wegovy and Ozempic is the best approach to address the unprecedented opportunity to help more than 100 million people living with obesity and over 35 million people with type 2 diabetes in the United States,” said Jamey Millar, executive vice president, U.S. Operations of Novo Nordisk, in a statement. “Private and public payers, as well as patients, want access and have been calling for lower list prices.”
The price reductions are intended to improve affordability, particularly for individuals with high-deductible health plans or co-insurance benefit designs, where out-of-pocket costs are directly tied to list prices, Novo Nordisk stated. The company emphasized that the cuts will not affect its “direct-to-patient” prices, which are discounted rates offered directly to consumers.
The announcement comes amid increasing competition in the GLP-1 receptor agonist market, a class of drugs used for both diabetes and weight management. Eli Lilly currently markets Mounjaro and Zepbound, competing injectable medications, and other GLP-1 treatments are entering the market.
Novo Nordisk’s decision follows a recent dispute with telehealth company Hims & Hers. The company had threatened legal action over a lower-cost compounded version of Wegovy, ultimately leading Hims & Hers to discontinue the product.
Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus, has demonstrated benefits beyond glycemic control. Clinical trials have shown that Ozempic can reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease, and can also slow the progression of chronic kidney disease, according to Novo Nordisk.
