The weight loss drug price wars are intensifying as the companies behind them try to make them more affordable for consumers who don\u2019t have coverage for them under their health insurance plans.<\/p>\n
Novo Nordisk \u2014 the maker of Wegovy<\/a> and Ozempic \u2014 announced Monday that it is now offering self-pay customers the weight loss drugs for as little as $199 a month.<\/p>\n The Danish company is trying to regain market share from Eli Lilly \u2014 which makes Mounjaro and Zepbound<\/a> \u2014 by making its weight loss drug considerably cheaper. Zepbound jumped in popularity after clinical trials showed it was more effective than Wegovy and had fewer complaints about side effects.<\/p>\n Starting Monday, the starter doses of Wegovy and Ozempic will be $199 a month and higher doses will cost $349 a month \u2014 down from the current $499 a month. The lower prices are available directly through the company\u2019s website, CVS, Costco, and select telehealth providers such as GoodRx, Ro, and Weight Watchers, according to the company.<\/p>\n In comparison, Lilly currently charges $349 a month to cash-paying customers for the lower doses of Zepbound and $499 a month for higher doses.<\/p>\n \u201cAs pioneers of the GLP-1 class, we are committed to ensuring that real, FDA-approved Wegovy and Ozempic are affordable and accessible to those who need them,\u201d the executive vice president of Novo Nordisk in the United States, Dave Moore, says<\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cOur new savings offers provide immediate impact, bringing forward greater cost savings for those who are currently without coverage or choose to self-pay.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Moore says the price reduction is part of a larger strategy to expand access for people living with chronic diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes by building relationships with telehealth providers and major retailers.<\/p>\n GLP-1 drugs have exploded in popularity over the past several years but originally came with price tags above $1,000 a month. Many insurance companies have balked at covering the drugs because of their high prices.\u00a0 The drugs have been too expensive for many patients to pay out-of-pocket \u2014 especially as a long term solution.\u00a0<\/p>\n About one in eight adults say they are currently taking a GLP-1 drug to lose weight or treat a chronic condition, according to a KFF Health Tracking Poll<\/a> released last week. The poll found more than a quarter of respondents say they are paying the full cost of the drugs themselves and more than half of GLP-1 users say it was difficult to afford the cost.<\/p>\n The price cut will make the cost of brand name drugs closer than compounded versions<\/a> sold by online pharmacies. The companies that make compounded versions of weight loss drugs sell a \u201cpersonalized\u201d formula that includes other ingredients \u2014 like vitamin B12 \u2014 that are considered just enough of a change in the chemical composition of the drug to avoid patent violations. Those versions are being sold for prices as low as $129 a month.<\/p>\n