Spending on GLP-1 drugs, primarily Ozempic and Wegovy, has surged, reaching $38.6 billion last year, doubling from the previous year and now surpassing insulin spending. This increase has sparked a broader discussion about drug affordability, especially as Sen. Bernie Sanders launches an investigation into the high prices charged for these drugs in the U.S., which can be up to $1,349 per month, compared to significantly lower costs in other countries. Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer, reported over $12 billion in profits last year. The potential expansion of insurance coverage for these drugs in the U.S. could cost up to $1 trillion annually, raising concerns about sustainability and access, given that these drugs cost less than $5 to manufacture.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, launched an investigation into the “outrageously high prices” of Novo Nordisk’s respective diabetes and weight loss drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy. https://t.co/OOheCZPfeO
GLP-1 treatments were a main driver of the increase in overall drug spending by health entities like pharmacies and hospitals last year, study shows. https://t.co/XY0dbJtuo5
No drug is worth anything if people cannot afford it. Today, I am launching an investigation into the outrageous prices Americans are charged for Ozempic and Wegovy. No one should have to pay up to $1,349 a month for prescription drugs that cost less than $5 to manufacture. https://t.co/bNToyEV8HG
No drug is worth anything if people cannot afford it. Today, I am launching an investigation into the outrageous Americans are charged for Ozempic and Wegovy. No one should have to pay up to $1,349 a month for prescription drugs that cost less than $5 to manufacture. https://t.co/sBf6kUIhkf
Novo Nordisk is a $555 billion company. It made over $12 billion in profits last year by, among other things, charging Americans $969 for Ozempic while it can be purchased for $59 in Germany and costs $5 to make. Our political agenda is to end this greed. Guilty. As. Charged. https://t.co/JrCJWGsjGA
Are GLP-1s the silver bullet for weight loss that many people believe them to be? One obesity medicine physician explains why the market might be smaller than expected: https://t.co/q831GmLSHu #GSExchanges https://t.co/Pspr3BIoeE
“No drug, no matter how great it is, is worth anything if people cannot afford it.” - @SenSanders on Ozempic. https://t.co/pK7iYwFxor
@BrianCDeese recently calculated that providing GLP-1 drugs for all Americans with obesity could soon cost $1 trillion annually. That would make semaglutide more expensive than the US military. https://t.co/ftGTp6Id4e
Spending on GLP-1 drugs has quickly surpassed spending on insulin products in the last few years. https://t.co/ioENrd3ZNx
GLP-1Ra Spending would likely have been even higher if not limited by manufacturing limitations https://t.co/j3pU2UAaZX by @elaineywchen @statnews https://t.co/5DYJrtz0tF https://t.co/laxEmdRl3l
Pharmalot.. Pharmalittle.. Good Morning: We’re reading about GLP-1 spending, Biosimilar patient costs, and more news.. https://t.co/BBAkkq9q2p #pharma #weight #obesity #Alzheimer #Harvard #biosimilars #insulin #Wegovy #Ozempic $NVO $LLY $BIIB $NVS $SNY $ESAIY $CVS $CI $UNH
Two reports out this morning show spending on GLP-1 drugs have surged, and is set to climb still more this year and beyond. Health entities spent $38.6 billion on Ozempic/Wegovy last year (double the year before), making it the top-seller among all drugs https://t.co/P3Vi6ozBcj
THIRTEEN new Ozempic-like drugs are coming in the next few years as part of weight-loss goldrush https://t.co/NMbjcuninz https://t.co/AhvZIlMjUh
At current prices, it would cost the US government a staggering sum to expand insurance coverage for GLP-1s, according to MIT’s Jonathan Gruber: https://t.co/1KMiFQlxRo #GSExchanges https://t.co/kwtZ6uFmZY