The news: GoodRx is partnering with Kroger pharmacies to roll out a medication savings program for branded drugs, including Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy.
Why it matters: Patients taking GLP-1s who don’t have health insurance or who have poor coverage can get the drugs at more pharmacies. GoodRx recently inked a deal with Novo to make the drugmaker’s $499 cash-pay price for Ozempic and Wegovy available at more than 70,000 local pharmacy counters. Now that extends to 2,200 Kroger pharmacies across the US.
Novo and Lilly provide their own direct-to-consumer (D2C) pharmacy services for self-pay weight loss patients—but many people don’t know they exist. Drugmakers’ D2C platforms for GLP-1s debuted just last year, and outside of major players like Amazon, consumer awareness of digital pharmacies generally remains low, per a July 2025 JD Power survey.
Yes, and: Retail pharmacies can capture more consumers in the cash-pay GLP-1 market with discounted prices offered via GoodRx tie-ups. This could bring additional traffic to struggling drugstores.
Our take: Kroger has a great opportunity to market healthy food offerings through its grocery business to people picking up GLP-1 prescriptions at its pharmacy. This might involve pharmacist-led medication management, tailored marketing for store products that support GLP-1 use (e.g., high-protein, low-calorie, fiber-rich), and access to nutrition guidance and resources. Other pharmacies should increase promotion of their newly discounted GLP-1 offerings, particularly pharmacies with vast footprints in areas where people are more likely to pay for weight loss drugs out of pocket.
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