Novo Nordisk: 80% of U.S. Wegovy patients with insurance paying less than $25/month

[November 03, 2023] COPENHAGEN/
LONDON (Reuters) - The majority of U.S. patients with health insurance coverage taking Novo Nordisk's powerful weight-loss drug Wegovy are paying less than $25 per month, a senior executive said on Thursday.

Doug Langa, Novo's vice president for North America, said most major pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and health plans were covering the hugely popular weekly injection.

He estimated that about 50 million Americans with obesity could be eligible for Wegovy coverage under their health plans.

"And importantly we're seeing around 80% of the patients (with insurance) are paying less than $25 for Wegovy," he said on a call with analysts after the Danish drugmaker released record quarterly results.

A selection of injector pens for the Wegovy weight loss drug are shown in this photo illustration in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska/Illustration/File Photo

The U.S. list price for Wegovy, which launched in the country in June 2021, is $1,300 per month. Novo cannot keep up with soaring demand and has warned that U.S. shortages will continue in the short to medium term.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Maggie Fick; writing by Josephine Mason; editing by Jason Neely)

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