'Stop ripping us off': Novo Nordisk CEO faces Senate grilling over weight loss drug prices

Novo Nordisk's top executive faces a Senate grilling on Tuesday over the high prices of the company's weight loss drug Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic, as demand for both injections soars in the U.S. 

Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen told lawmakers at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington, D.C that he wants to work with them on policy solutions that will help patients access affordable medicine. But he did not explicitly vow to slash prices for its popular treatments. The testimony comes roughly five months after Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent who chairs the Senate panel, opened an investigation into the Danish drugmaker's pricing practices. 

"All we are saying, Mr. Jørgensen, is treat the American people the same way that you treat people all over the world," Sanders said during the hearing Tuesday. "Stop ripping us off."

He noted that Novo Nordisk has raked in nearly $50 billion in sales from Wegovy and Ozempic, with most of that revenue coming from the U.S. Sanders contends that Novo Nordisk charges Americans substantially higher prices for its blockbuster drugs than it does for patients in other countries. Before insurance, Ozempic costs nearly $969 per month and Wegovy costs almost $1,350 per month in the U.S. 

Meanwhile, both treatments can cost as little as under $100 for a month's supply in some European countries, according to a release from the committee. Ozempic costs just $59 in Germany, while Wegovy costs $92 in the U.K.

Sanders also said last week that the CEOs of major generic pharmaceutical companies have told him that they could sell a version of Ozempic for less than $100 a month at a profit. There are currently no generic alternatives to Ozempic available in the U.S. 

Sanders added that he received commitments in writing from all of the major pharmacy benefit managers – middlemen who negotiate drug rebates with manufacturers on behalf of insurers – that they would be able to expand coverage of Wegovy and Ozempic if Novo Nordisk reduced their list prices.

Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk argues that it has spent billions to research, develop and expand manufacturing for the treatments and is funneling more money into researching their potential to treat other obesity-related health conditions. That investment has extended and improved the lives of millions of Americans, which helps reduce the health-care costs associated with obesity and diabetes, according to written testimony from Jørgensen.

During the hearing, Jørgensen said the company has fought to secure public and private insurance coverage for the medications.

He also in part blamed the "complex U.S. healthcare system" for making it difficult for patients to access affordable prescription drugs, noting that "no single company alone can solve such vast and complicated policy challenges."

Jørgensen promised that Novo Nordisk will "remain engaged and work with this committee on policy solutions to address the structural issues that drive up costs."

Sanders asked Jørgensen if Novo Nordisk could commit to substantially reducing the list prices of Wegovy and Ozempic.

While Jørgensen did not explicitly vow to slash prices, he said "anything that will help patients get access to affordable medicine, we'll be happy to look into."

But Jørgensen contended that lowering prices could have consequences. He said Novo Nordisk cut the U.S. list price of certain insulin products last year, which caused some of them to be excluded from certain formularies, or lists of medications covered by insurance.

"So I have a bit of concern how this could play out," he said.

Sanders and other lawmakers, health experts and insurers have warned that the insatiable demand for Novo Nordisk's drugs and similar weight loss and diabetes treatments from rival Eli Lilly could potentially bankrupt the U.S. health-care system unless prices drop.

Both drugmakers make GLP-1s, which mimic hormones produced in the gut to tamp down a person's appetite and regulate their blood sugar. Eli Lilly's weight loss injection Zepbound and diabetes drug Mounjaro similarly cost around $1,000 per month before insurance and other rebates.

In a release, the Senate Health Committee said it would cost the U.S. $411 billion per year if half of all Americans took weight loss drugs from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. That's $5 billion more than what Americans spent on all prescription drugs in 2022. 

Medicare spent $4.6 billion on Ozempic in 2022 alone, according to health policy research organization KFF. 

Other insurers and employers have implemented strict requirements to control weight loss drug costs, or have dropped coverage of those treatments altogether. Many health plans cover GLP-1s for diabetes, but not for weight loss. The federal Medicare program doesn't pay for weight loss treatments unless they are approved and prescribed for another health condition. 

The hearing comes as the Biden administration and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle try to rein in health-care costs in the U.S., in part by pressuring the pharmaceutical industry and drug supply chain middlemen. On average, Americans pay two to three times more than patients in other developed nations for prescription drugs, according to a fact sheet from the White House.

Notably, Ozempic will likely be subject to the next round of price negotiations between manufacturers and Medicare — a key provision of President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act that aims to lower costs for seniors. Wall Street analysts say Ozempic will likely be eligible for negotiations by the time the next round of drugs is selected in 2025, for price changes that will go into effect in 2027.