image source, Getty Images
- author, Natalie Sherman
- role, bbc news
Registrations for the weight-loss drug Wegoby have soared fivefold in the United States in the first three months of this year, reaching more than 25,000 people per week, according to manufacturer Novo Nordisk.
The surge reflects the ferocious demand for the drug, which was hailed as a revolutionary drug alongside its sister diabetes drug Ozempic and helped turn Novo Nordisk into one of Europe’s most valuable companies. There is.
But the drug giants are facing new pressures as the high prices of these drugs have come under intense scrutiny in the U.S. and rival products from rival Eli Lilly have emerged.
The company announced in its quarterly update to investors that it cut prices in the U.S. in the first three months of the year.
He said prices for Wigobee and Ozempic will continue to fall in the coming months.
But despite the price cuts and other supply constraints, overall sales are still expected to grow by up to 27% this year, a slight increase from previous forecasts.
“Given the high-volume opportunities we have in front of us, this is significantly above what we are seeing from a lower price point perspective,” CEO Lars Fluergaard Jorgensen said. said.
He attributed the price decline in part to the company’s efforts to reach more “vulnerable” parts of the market.
Novo Nordisk said its diabetes and weight loss drugs were available to approximately 42 million patients worldwide as of the end of March.
The United States is by far the company’s largest market, with approximately 40% of adults estimated to be obese and more than 10% suffering from diabetes.
But because of the high prices of drugs, many U.S. health insurance plans, including Medicare, the government’s senior citizen program, limit access.
Last month, Sen. Bernie Sanders started an investigation Novo Nordisk points out that Wegobee costs $1,349 (£1,078) per month in the US, while it can be purchased by individuals starting at around £140 in the UK, and less for medical professionals. raised the issue.
Jorgenson acknowledged that demand for this treatment is “straining the health care system.”
But he said he was hopeful the company could convince regulators of the benefits of the drug, which was also recently approved to treat heart disease.
“I’m optimistic about how we can communicate the value of these interventions to the health care system. I’m very optimistic about the underlying willingness of both patients and physicians to use these drugs. ” he said.
So far, the biggest struggle Novo Nordisk faces is continuing to meet demand.
The company has been investing in new factories and expanding its manufacturing capacity in recent years.
The five-fold jump in Wegoby prescriptions in the U.S. since December is a sign that these problems are easing, Chief Financial Officer Carsten Munk Knudsen said.
“This is clearly a sign that the supply chain is operating, building inventory and supplying the market,” he said. “This should be seen as confidence in scaling.”
Ozempic was approved for sale in the US in 2017 and in the EU in 2018. Wegovy said he followed this in the United States in 2021 and in the European Union in 2022.
