Tom Little/Reuters/File
Novo Nordisk said it remains committed to working with policymakers on ways to support access and affordability.
CNN
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Sen. Bernie Sanders is taking aim at the high prices of blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wigovy.
The Vermont senator is an independent and has long criticized drug companies for their wrongdoings. expensive productshas launched an investigation into the “exorbitant prices” Novo Nordisk is charging for its medicines.
“Novo Nordisk scientists deserve tremendous credit for developing these potentially game-changing drugs for the millions of Americans suffering from type 2 diabetes and obesity. ‘s medicines are important, but they are of no use to the millions of patients who cannot afford them,” Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Sanders wrote on Wednesday. . letter CEO of a pharmaceutical company. “Additionally, unless the prices of these products are significantly lowered, Medicare, Medicaid, and the entire health care system could go bankrupt.”
Sanders wants answers from Novo Nordisk about whether it will “substantially lower” the prices of its drugs, how much money it makes selling its drugs, how much it spends on research and development, and how. We are requesting information on how the price was determined.
Ozempic is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat diabetes, and Wegovy can help certain people lose weight and reduce their risk of diabetes. cardiovascular disease. Both are injectable drugs whose active ingredient is semaglutide, a type of drug called a GLP-1 receptor agonist.
novo nordisk raised the list price Ozempic’s price has increased 3.5% this year to $969 for a four-week supply, while Wigobee’s price remained unchanged at $1,349. The company told CNN in February that it increases the list prices of some drugs annually based on changes in the health care system, inflation and market conditions.
Sanders’ letter notes that researchers at Yale University recently discovered that these drugs “can be produced profitably for less than $5 per month.” The senator also noted that Ozempic costs just $155 in Canada and $59 in Germany, while Wegovy can be purchased for $140 in Germany and $92 in the UK.
Novo Nordisk agrees with Saunders that access to medicines is important for patients, the company said in a statement. He said he remains committed to working with policymakers on ways to support access and affordability.
Novo Nordisk says it “too often oversimplifies the science involved in understanding disease, developing and producing new treatments, and the complexities of health care systems in the United States and around the world.” “However, public debate does not always take into account this extremely complex reality.”
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For most Americans, the price they pay for a drug is determined by their health insurance contract, not the drug company’s list price. However, if you don’t have insurance or haven’t met your annual deductible yet, you may have to pay the list price. Additionally, many drug manufacturers, including Novo Nordisk, offer savings cards and patient assistance programs that can reduce out-of-pocket costs for certain people.
Ozempic has also proven costly for the federal government, and Wegoby’s recent approval to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes is expected to make it even more costly.
Medicare is not legally allowed to cover weight-loss drugs, but it will cover Ozempic for enrollees with diabetes or diabetes. wegobee For people with cardiovascular disease and who are overweight or obese.it spent $4.6 billion for Ozempic 2.6 billion in 2022, compared to $2.6 billion the previous year, according to KFF.
A separate KFF analysis found that Wegovy could harm Medicare Approximately 3 billion dollars one year. Neither analysis takes into account rebates and no information about rebates is published.
The surge in spending on these drugs will likely contribute to higher Part D premiums for all beneficiaries.
CNN’s Meg Tyrrell contributed to this report.
