Novo Nordisk is facing two-pronged pressure from lawmakers and patient advocates to make its popular diabetes medication Ozempic more affordable. The calls come on the heels of a recent study that found it costs less than $5 to produce a month’s supply of Ozempic.
Researchers at Yale University, King’s College Hospital in London, and Doctors Without Borders found that the cost to manufacture a month’s supply of Ozempic — including a profit margin — is between $0.89 and $4.74. For comparison, Ozempic’s current list price is $935.77 for four weekly injections. Although the price doesn’t reflect what customers pay after available rebates are applied, that’s almost a 20,000% markup.
The study’s authors wrote that the findings suggest that Ozempic and other diabetes medications “can likely be manufactured for prices far below current prices, enabling wider access.” And others are backing them.
“Ozempic has the potential to be a game-changer in the diabetes and obesity epidemics in America. But if we do not substantially reduce the price of this drug, millions who need it will be unable to afford it,” U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, said in a statement in response to the study. He also called for Novo Nordisk to lower the list price of Ozempic to no more than its price in Canada — up to $300 for a month’s supply.
U.S. Representative Dina Titus from Nevada joined Sanders in calling for the pharma giant to lower its price for Ozempic.
“Drug companies gouge U.S. consumers to pad their bottom line. Ozempic is priced at $1,000 a month here, while in Canada you only pay $155 for the same dose,” Titus wrote on a post on X that linked to a news article on the study.
The advocacy group Patients for Affordable Drugs also posted a statement on X regarding the study’s findings.
“Ozempic could be manufactured for less than $5 monthly, and STILL BE PROFITABLE, but Novo Nordisk is charging $1,000/month to patients!” the group said. “We urgently need legislative action to rein in these exorbitant prices.”
Sen. Sanders told Bloomberg he plans to meet with Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen next week. He’s also considering holding hearings on the price of Ozempic and similar drugs. A spokesperson was unable to confirm whether the meeting will take place.
In a statement emailed to Quartz, the spokesperson said that Novo Nordisk supports “changes in policy to improve patient affordability and access for those living with chronic diseases.”