Wegovy goes on sale after off-ramp for copycats ends
Novo is offering a one-month sale on Wegovy, and its partner telehealth platforms are offering creative ways to squeeze in a margin for themselves.
Wegovy, the blockbuster weight-loss jab made by Novo Nordisk, is on sale.
As of Thursday, compounding pharmacies can no longer sell exact copies of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and its better-known sister diabetes drug, Ozempic. As one affordable option for the popular drug is curtailed, Novo has responded by slashing the price — temporarily.
Novo announced Thursday morning that it would offer the first month Wegovy at $199 for cash-paying patients, available until June 30. After that, patients will pay the $499 a month Novo normally charges cash-paying patients. (The drug costs upward of $1000 a month for those with insurance.)
Novo had previously announced partnerships with three telehealth companies — Ro, LifeMD, and Hims & Hers — to make Wegovy available on their platforms. The one-month discounted Wegovy is available on each platform as well, and each company found a creative way to squeeze in a margin.
Patients can get their first month of Wegovy for $199 at Ro, plus the cost of a monthly membership, which is $45 for the first month and $145 after that. LifeMD will charge $299 the first month and $599 thereafter, essentially adding $100 to the bill each month for access to its platform. Hims said it would charge $3,394 up front for a six-month supply, which comes out to $549 a month.
The push for Wegovy comes as sales for its competitor, Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, are catching up to it. The company recently ousted its CEO after slowing sales of its GLP-1 drugs dragged down its stock price.
Novo has said compounding pharmacies have weighed on its sales. In an announcement on Thursday, the firm threatened legal action against compounding pharmacies that continue to mass-produce semaglutide.
As of Thursday morning, Hims still offered personalized compounded semaglutide to those that fill out its onboarding questionnaire. The company has previously said that high rates of side effects create a need to make personalized versions of the drug, which are also a higher-margin business than flipping Novo’s cash price Wegovy.
