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Novo Nordisk (NVO) drew the ire of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) following the release of a study Wednesday that found the drugmaker’s blockbuster diabetes treatment Ozempic can be produced for less than $5 a month but costs far more than that.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, found that semaglutide, the generic name for Ozempic, 0.77 mg once weekly injection has a cost-based price of $0.89-$4.73. Depending on an individual’s glycemic control needs, Ozempic is available in injection doses of of 0.5, 1, and 2 mg.
Researchers found that the lowest market price for Ozempic at 0.77 mg weekly was $38.21-$351.34.
“Novo Nordisk charges Americans nearly $1,000 a month for this drug, while the same exact product can be purchased for just $155 a month in Canada and just $59 in Germany,” Sanders said in a news release.
“As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), I am calling on Novo Nordisk to lower the list price of Ozempic – and the related drug Wegovy – in America to no more than what they charge for this drug in Canada,” he added.
Wegovy also contains semaglutide, but at a 2.4 mg injection. It is indicated for weight loss.
The study did not examine Eli Lilly’s (LLY) rival treatments, Mounjaro and Zepbound, which are approved for, respectively, diabetes and weight loss, and contain the same generic drug, tirzepatide.
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