United States: The pharmaceutical companies behind the weight-loss medications Wegovy and Zepbound established new lower prices to increase accessibility for patients who lack insurance coverage.
Wegovy Drops by 23%
Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical organization responsible for Wegovy, declared a 23% reduction in its monthly price on Wednesday. The price has been reduced to $499 monthly, effective today. The drug’s monthly price originally amounted to $650, but the makers have now reduced it to $499, as reported by HealthDay.
Users of a particular weight-loss medication can benefit from price reductions in their entire treatment dosage range, according to NBC News.
No More Supply Shortages
The price reduction by the company extends to individuals with no insurance coverage and patients whose health plans fail to support weight-loss drugs.
Eli Lilly announced last week that the monthly starting dose price of Zepbound decreased to $349.
Through its self-pay program, the company offers larger dose prices of $499 monthly.
Patients taking GLP-1 based medications begin with minimum doses which they then step up to higher dose levels through specific time protocols.
The recent price reductions coincide with improved supply availability. Each drug no longer faces supply shortages since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed them from their shortage list, thus enabling companies to ramp up production, as reported by HealthDay.
Compounding pharmacists who manufacture unauthorized versions of medications need to stop their operations because supply problems have subsided.
How These Medications Work
Wegovy and Zepbound function as part of a drug category that helps patients lose weight by minimizing hunger sensations while enhancing their sense of fullness.