Novo launches Wegovy weight-loss pill for sale in US

By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Bhanvi Satija

COPENHAGEN/LONDON, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is launching its once-daily Wegovy pill in the United States on Monday, offering doses of 1.5 milligrams and 4 mg at $149 per month for self-paying patients in an intensely competitive weight-loss drug market.

The pill was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month, a boon to Novo Nordisk as it looks to regain ground lost to U.S. rival Eli Lilly. Lilly has previously said it expects a decision in March for its own weight-loss pill. 

Novo’s pill will also be sold in 9 mg and a higher long-term dose of 25 mg. The two higher doses will be priced at $299 for a month’s supply, while the 4 mg dose will rise to $199 from April 15, the drugmaker’s website shows.

The Wegovy pill could attract new consumers as Novo looks to revive its fortunes after profit warnings and sliding shares last year. The treatment offers more flexibility and an alternative for those who dislike needles used in injectable medication.

The once-daily pill is also under review by other regulators, with a UK decision due by year-end. 

Denmark-listed shares of the drugmaker closed 5% higher on Monday. U.S.-listed shares of Novo were up 4.6%, while Lilly slipped 3.5% in afternoon trading.

LURING CASH CUSTOMERS KEY TO PILL’S SUCCESS

The success of Novo’s pill will be tied to attracting cash-paying consumers who cannot get insurance coverage, a stark shift from the dominant business model where drug pricing is managed through health insurance plans. 

Novo said the treatment would be available through U.S. pharmacies CVS and Costco, as well as through telehealth providers including Ro, LifeMD, WeightWatchers, GoodRx and its own NovoCare Pharmacy.

Shares of the telehealth firms rose between 3% and 14% in afternoon trading.

The low 1.5 mg dose is the starter dose for the Wegovy pill, which is made up of semaglutide, the same active ingredient found in its blockbuster injectable weight-loss and diabetes treatments marketed under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic.

Novo also offers the 1.5 mg dose for its oral semaglutide drug for type 2 diabetes, sold as Rybelsus. 

The remaining doses of the Wegovy pill will be available for patients by the end of this week, Novo said. 

Lilly plans to cap higher doses of its obesity pill, if approved, at $399 a month for repeat cash buyers. Lilly’s injectable drug Zepbound has largely been ahead of Novo’s Wegovy in weekly U.S. prescriptions over the past year.

TRUMP LOOKS TO LOWER OBESITY DRUG PRICES

U.S. list prices for the injectables are about $1,000 per month or more. Both companies have reduced prices of their injectables for customers paying in cash rather than using health insurance.

Novo began selling its Wegovy injection at $349 a month to cash payers in November.

Under a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump, Novo and Lilly also agreed to offer starter doses of their weight-loss pills at $149 per month for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees, and to cash payers via the White House’s new direct-to-consumer TrumpRx site, which is expected to be launched this month. 

Novo had faced repeated supply shortages after launching its Wegovy injection in the U.S. But having built up supplies for its new pill for some time to prevent similar challenges, Novo said it was confident it could meet supply needs.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copenhagen, Bhanvi Satija and Maggie Fick in London, writing by Anna Ringstrom; Editing by Terje Solsvik, Adam Jourdan, Bernadette Baum and Alan Barona)