{"id":786738,"date":"2026-02-24T22:31:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T22:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/786738\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T22:31:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T22:31:13","slug":"how-much-do-weight-loss-drugs-cost-per-month-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/786738\/","title":{"rendered":"How much do weight-loss drugs cost per month? \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>Novo Nordisk to cut prices by about 50% for Ozempic and 35% for Wegovy.<\/li>\n<li>Price drops target insured patients who share costs based on drug list prices.<\/li>\n<li>Cash-paying patients have already experienced better prices for those medications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">America\u2019s in the middle of a weight-loss frenzy, driven by blockbuster GLP-1 drugs that have proven very effective at helping adults shed excess pounds. Meanwhile, in what could be another sign of a price war, Novo Nordisk has announced plans to drastically reduce the list price of its versions, Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">The price change, announced Tuesday, will take effect Jan. 1, 2027 and is aimed to help \u201cpatients whose out-of-pocket costs are linked to list price,\u201d the company said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.novonordisk.com\/content\/nncorp\/global\/en\/news-and-media\/news-and-ir-materials\/news-details.html?id=916504\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.novonordisk.com\/content\/nncorp\/global\/en\/news-and-media\/news-and-ir-materials\/news-details.html?id=916504\">news release<\/a>. In other words, those with insurance who bear a share of the cost of the drug, based on list price.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">The cost of Wegovy for weight-loss and Ozempic for diabetes, which are both semaglutide injections, and Rybelsus, the company\u2019s tablet form of semaglutide, will drop to $675 a month at any dose level for patients with insurance. Currently, the medications cost between $1,000 and $1,349 a month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">That\u2019s a reduction, per the company, of about 50% for Ozempic and 35% for Wegovy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">The price cuts won\u2019t benefit those who pay cash. But those patients have already seen lower prices as Novo Nordisk lowered the cost of Wegovy and most of its Ozempic doses from just under $500 a month to just under $350. Those cuts apply to patients who get their drugs directly from the manufacturer or its telehealth and retail pharmacy partners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1, a class of medication for obesity and type 2 diabetes that acts like the regular hormones that are supposed to regulate blood sugar and tell people when their appetites are sated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">The company said the price drop \u201creflects Novo Nordisk\u2019s commitment to enhancing affordability for patients and both public and private payers dealing with the complexities of the evolving U.S. health care system.\u201d Jamey Millar, executive vice president of U.S. operations, said in the release that the price change will benefit \u201cindividuals with high-deductible health plans or co-insurance benefit designs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">The company has reported that more than 100 million people in the U.S. live with obesity, while more than 35 million have type 2 diabetes. Millar said the medications are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults who have obesity, type 2 diabetes, and those whose weight or diabetes are complicated as well by chronic kidney disease or related cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n<p>Intense competition among drug makers<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">The weight-loss drug field is incredibly competitive at the moment. And drug makers are also facing pressure from the Trump administration to lower prices, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deseret.com\/lifestyle\/2025\/11\/06\/trump-deal-lower-prices-weight-loss-drugs-wegovy-zepbound\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.deseret.com\/lifestyle\/2025\/11\/06\/trump-deal-lower-prices-weight-loss-drugs-wegovy-zepbound\/\">Deseret News has reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Per <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/2026\/02\/24\/novo-slashes-ozempic-wegovy-prices-effective-jan-1-2027\/88826854007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/2026\/02\/24\/novo-slashes-ozempic-wegovy-prices-effective-jan-1-2027\/88826854007\/\">USA Today<\/a>, \u201cOn Feb. 23, Novo Nordisk released late-stage study results showing participants who took its next-generation obesity drug, CagriSema, didn\u2019t lose quite as much weight (23%) as those who took rival Eli Lilly\u2019s Zepbound (25.5%). Novo Nordisk\u2019s shares dropped 16% on Monday after releasing the head-to-head results of weight-loss medications.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">CagriSema was reportedly planned as a next-generation weight-loss drug, following Wegovy. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Eli Lilly, like Novo Nordisk, lowered the price of its Zepbound GLP-1 drug earlier for those who purchase directly from the company. Zepbound is tirzepatide, not semaglutide. Eli Lilly\u2019s Mounjaro is also tirzepatide, but prescribed for diabetes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">USA Today noted that \u201cwhile employers often cover the cost of diabetes medications such as Ozempic and Lilly\u2019s Mounjaro for their workers, employers are less likely to pick up the tab for weight-loss medications.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">KFF, quoted in the USA Today article, said 43% of larger employers paid for anti-obesity drugs last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">Besides battling each other for marketshare, the two companies have been in lawsuits with companies that compound versions of their GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. During a shortage last year, the FDA allowed some compounding, but the shortage has resolved and the two drug manufacturers say such compounding violates their exclusive rights to their drugs. Those making the compounded, cheaper version have said the companies own their recipes, but not the ingredients and that their own versions are different enough to allow them to continue.<\/p>\n<p>A price war for GLP-1 drugs?<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">\u201cNovo\u2019s pricing announcement is the latest in a series of maneuvers after President Donald Trump threw the spotlight on the cost of GLP-1 drugs last year,\u201d according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biospace.com\/drug-delivery\/novo-slashes-glp-1-prices-again-touts-new-weight-loss-data-on-heels-of-lilly-loss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.biospace.com\/drug-delivery\/novo-slashes-glp-1-prices-again-touts-new-weight-loss-data-on-heels-of-lilly-loss\">BioSpace<\/a>. \u201cIn November, both Novo and Lilly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biospace.com\/business\/white-house-strikes-glp-1-pricing-deal-with-lilly-novo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">struck deals<\/a> with the White House to offer their GLP-1 medicines through Trump\u2019s direct-to-consumer marketplace for about $350 per month. Novo also agreed at the time to sell oral Wegovy for $150 for the initial doses \u2014 a promise it made good on when the pill launched last month.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\">The two companies have gone back and forth, each cutting prices in different ways. Per Biospace: \u201cFollowing the White House deals, Novo said it would offer a self-pay option for Wegovy and Ozempic for $199 per month. Weeks later, Lilly responded, once again cutting the price of its GLP-1 weight loss option, Zepbound, when purchased through the direct-to-consumer platform LillyDirect. The cost for a one-month supply of the drug\u2019s lowest dose (2.5 mg) \u2014 recommended only as a starter dose \u2014 went from $349 to $299, while the 5 mg dose went from $499 per month to $399. All other doses \u2014 7.5, 10, 12.5 and 15 mg \u2014 dropped from $499 to $449 per month.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/story\/novo-nordisk-and-eli-lilly-shares-both-fall-after-ozempic-price-cut-plan-5472626b?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqfXUWZd4z24mExegUzWU4yqcERZ5FbINX8r9OzYDoR62BX36_OnWh4mAQwD-R4%3D&amp;gaa_ts=699dcc76&amp;gaa_sig=jS-4qOBq104hWl29ao39z3QzH-zOc-oB-A-jJdwuQ5reCGiOTtUr1g-O0zIpPfDZHqyP0x2_KT9er5-lGDrgiw%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/story\/novo-nordisk-and-eli-lilly-shares-both-fall-after-ozempic-price-cut-plan-5472626b?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqfXUWZd4z24mExegUzWU4yqcERZ5FbINX8r9OzYDoR62BX36_OnWh4mAQwD-R4%3D&amp;gaa_ts=699dcc76&amp;gaa_sig=jS-4qOBq104hWl29ao39z3QzH-zOc-oB-A-jJdwuQ5reCGiOTtUr1g-O0zIpPfDZHqyP0x2_KT9er5-lGDrgiw%3D%3D\">MarketWatch<\/a> reported Tuesday that both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly shares fell after plans were announced to further cut the price for Ozempic and Wegovy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Novo Nordisk to cut prices by about 50% for Ozempic and 35% for Wegovy. Price drops target insured&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":786739,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4315],"tags":[105,4326,29855,16,15],"class_list":["post-786738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-health","tag-medication","tag-news-feed-national","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116127982283271000","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=786738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/786739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=786738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=786738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=786738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}