Novo Nordisk has announced that patients in the US can now receive a month’s supply of its diabetes medication Ozempic directly from the company’s pharmacy, NovoCare Pharmacy, for $499. This move comes as President Donald Trump pressures pharmaceutical companies to lower drug costs.
Ozempic, which was previously priced at nearly $1,000 per month, is now available to cash-paying consumers through NovoCare Pharmacy and other platforms like GoodRx. The company has launched a direct-to-consumer pharmacy for its weight loss medication Wegovy, also offering it for $499 a month.
The move aims to make the drug more accessible to patients who do not have insurance coverage. However, some health experts are concerned that making medications directly available without insuliner coverage could lead patients to seek cheaper, unapproved alternatives.
Novo Nordisk has noted that compounding pharmacies, which create versions of approved medications in shortage, have affected sales of its GLP-1 medications. The FDA removed these medications from the shortage list but says compounded versions continue to be sold.
The company believes that by making Ozempic more affordable, it can prevent patients from seeking potentially unsafe alternatives. “We believe that if even a single patient feels the need to turn to potentially unsafe and unapproved knockoff alternatives, that’s one too many,” said Dave Moore, executive vice president of Novo Nordisk’s US operations.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/18/business/ozempic-novo-nordisk-cash-price