Weight loss drug makers drop prices

Makers of the popular obesity treatments Wegovy and Zepbound are cutting prices for people without insurance.

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk said Wednesday that it will drop prices 23 percent for all doses of Wegovy. The new monthly price of $499, down from $650, takes effect immediately.

Novo said the new pricing is available to both the uninsured and people who have insurance that doesn’t cover the weight-loss drugs.

Last week, Eli Lilly said it would cut the monthly price of its starter dose of Zepbound to $349. The U.S. drugmaker also is making larger doses available for $499 through its self-pay program.

Patients start taking the injectable drugs at smaller dose levels and then increase the amount over time.

The price cuts come as supplies improve. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has moved both drugs off its list of medicines in shortage. The agency has said compounding pharmacies and other entities that have been allowed to make off-brand, cheaper copies of the drugs during the shortage will have to wind down production.

Wegovy and Zepbound are part of a GLP-1 class of treatments that has shown unprecedented results for helping people shed weight by decreasing appetite and boosting feelings of fullness. Sales of the drugs have soared.

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