The news: Novo Nordisk is dropping the cash-pay price of its type 2 diabetes med Ozempic to $499 per month from just under $1,000. It’s offering Ozempic through its direct-to-consumer (D2C) NovoCare Pharmacy for the first time and also via GoodRx at the same price.
Why it matters: Novo already dropped the cash-pay price of Wegovy, its weight loss version of the same drug semaglutide, to $499 in March. While Ozempic is approved to treat type 2 diabetes, physicians can prescribe it off-label for weight loss, and often did during Wegovy shortages, earning Ozempic a pop culture weight loss drug reputation.
- Both drugs typically cost $1,000 or more per month per Novo’s list prices.
- Novo launched its D2C platform NovoCare Pharmacy also in March appealing to cash-pay customers. Almost one-quarter (23.3%) of consumers who’ve taken GLP-1 medications paid out of pocket, per EMARKETER’s December 2024 US Digital Health Survey.
Our first take: Novo’s weight loss drug Wegovy, along with Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, are finding some success with D2C models and cash-pay sales. So, it makes sense that Novo would make a similar move with Ozempic.
It’s a responsive play for Novo amid the still-active compounded GLP-1 market that offers consumers lower-cost options for weight loss drugs at $199 a month or lower. However, we think Novo’s Ozempic price cut is still out of reach for many interested customers.
This is our immediate perspective. We’re actively developing this story throughout the day with more research and data from the EMARKETER database. Our in-depth analysis will be included in our client-only Briefings. Non-clients can click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.
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