Why has Ozempic's US price drawn so much criticism?
In September 2024 the Senate cited Novo charging $969 a month for Ozempic in the US versus $59 in Germany, and $1,349 for Wegovy versus $92 in the UK — while a Yale study suggested the drugs could be profitably made for less than $5 a month.
In September 2024 Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen testified before the Senate HELP Committee, chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders. The committee highlighted that Novo charged $969 a month for Ozempic in the US versus $155 in Canada and $59 in Germany, and $1,349 a month for Wegovy versus $137 in Germany and $92 in the UK.
Sanders cited a Yale study suggesting the drugs could be profitably manufactured for less than $5 a month, and told Jørgensen to "stop ripping us off." Jørgensen testified that the company has little control over what patients pay, pointing to insurers and PBMs, and said Novo had invested billions in research and manufacturing capacity. Novo had earned nearly $50 billion from the two drugs by then.