Novo Nordisk mentioned on Wednesday it might start promoting its weight-loss drug Wegovy at a reduced worth of $499 per 30 days to sufferers paying money, because it grapples with shifts to the aggressive dynamic of the US weight problems drug market.
The transfer comes simply over per week after rival Eli Lilly minimize the worth for vials of its weight-loss drug Zepbound by $50 or extra and expanded the vary of doses offered on-line via its direct-to-consumer web site.
Eli Lilly started providing vials of the 2 lowest doses of Zepbound, which is usually offered in auto-injector pens, in August.
It now sells vials of all however the two highest-strength doses of the drug via LillyDirect. The bottom dose prices $349 a month and the others value $499 a month.
Novo mentioned its discounted Wegovy could be obtainable in pens of all dosage strengths to uninsured sufferers or eligible sufferers with business insurance coverage who would not have protection for weight problems medicines via its NovoCare Pharmacy program.
The Danish drugmaker will even supply dwelling supply for the drug, which may value sufferers greater than $1,000 a month if they don’t have medical insurance protection.
US-listed shares of Novo have been up 4.2% to $91.16 in morning buying and selling.
Compounding pharmacies which were promoting a whole lot of 1000’s of doses of copies of Wegovy whereas the medicines have been in scarcity are additionally working out of time to supply them.
The Meals and Drug Administration in February eliminated Wegovy from its scarcity listing and instructed compounders to stop promoting their cheaper copies within the coming months, having eliminated Zepbound in December.
“With both LillyDirect and NovoCare established, both Lilly and Novo look to cut out compounding pharmacies, which have taken some of their product’s sizable demand,” BMO analyst Evan Seigerman mentioned in a analysis be aware.
Drug compounders led by trade commerce group Outsourcing Services Affiliation sued the FDA final month over its resolution to take away Wegovy from its listing of medicine in scarcity.
They beforehand sued over the company’s declaration that Lilly’s tirzepatide medicine, together with Zepbound, have been not briefly provide.
The FDA mentioned final month that some compounding pharmacies had till the courtroom makes its resolution within the earlier case to cease promoting compounded tirzepatide, however has not mentioned whether or not the identical deadline applies to copies of Wegovy.
Shares of telehealth supplier Hims & Hers, which sells compounded variations of Wegovy, fell 4.2% to $38.76 in morning buying and selling.
The corporate’s inventory practically tripled final yr, giving it a market capitalization of $9 billion.
