BENGALURU: US Senator Bernie Sanders on Tuesday said he has received confirmation from major generic pharmaceutical companies that they can sell copycat versions of Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Ozempic for less than $100 a month. Why is it important?
Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Jorgensen is set to testify before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), chaired by Sanders, at a hearing next week focusing on US prices for its widely popular Ozempic and weight-loss drug Vegovi. .
Key quote
Sanders said he has spoken with the chief executives of several major generic drug makers over the past few months.
“They’ve studied this and they tell me they can sell a generic version of Ozempic, the same drug that Novo Nordisk manufactures, for less than $100 a month to Americans,” he said.
Sanders did not name the companies he spoke with. Ozempic’s patent is not set to expire in the United States until 2032.
CONTEXT
Ozempic, which contains the same active ingredient as Vegovi and is used off-label for weight loss, belongs to the popular GLP-1 class, which has seen overwhelming demand in the United States.
Some analysts predict that the total market for weight loss drugs will reach $150 billion by the early 2030s.
However, this comes amid criticism from lawmakers over the high costs associated with these drugs.
by number
The U.S. list price for a one-month supply of Novona Ozempic is $935.77 while Vegovi lists for $1,349.02 per month, according to the drugmaker’s website, although most customers pay less.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishnachandra Iluri)
