Ozempic and Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk should be forced to cut the price of its obesity and diabetes wonder drugs, Bernie Sanders has said, claiming the current costs are “outrageously high”.
The US senator has written a column in Danish newspaper Politiken urging the public to put pressure on Novo Nordisk, which is the nation’s biggest business.
The former Democratic presidential hopeful said Novo’s obesity jabs cost far more in the US than elsewhere in the world, suggesting this means Novo “does not live up to its high moral ideals”.
Mr Sanders claimed Novo charges around 10 times more for Ozempic in the US than it does in some European countries.
The treatment has been priced at $188 (£150) per month in Denmark, although it was reduced to $125 earlier this month. Mr Sanders has claimed the treatment costs $6,700 a month for an American.
Mr Sanders wrote: “Help the American people do something about the obesity and diabetes epidemic we are facing.”
Ozempic is a treatment for diabetes but can be prescribed off label for weight loss. Wegovy, which is also made by Novo, specifically targets weight loss.
These drugs are part of a new generation of appetite suppressant treatments that have proved to be hugely effective. Patients who take these treatments can lose up to a quarter of their body weight.
Novo Nordisk bosses have argued that prices for Ozempic in the US are down around 40pc since 2018.
Speaking earlier this year, chief financial officer Karsten Munk Knudsen said: “Too much of the conversation focuses around costs and too little on the value . . . in reduction of blood glucose, weight and cardiovascular risk reduction.”
It comes amid growing concerns about the ballooning cost of these new weight loss and diabetes jabs, which have been shown to deliver a host of health benefits.
Even in Europe, healthcare systems have been pushing to rein in the use of Novo Nordisk’s treatments and instead move patients onto cheaper drugs.
Denmark placed new restrictions on Ozempic prescriptions earlier this month, reducing subsidies so that people with Type 2 diabetes will first need to try cheaper alternatives.
Questions over pricing have come amid huge demand for the jabs, with Novo Nordisk racing to boost supplies in recent months.
It has propelled Novo Nordisk into the rankings of the most valuable companies in the world, with its market capitalisation surpassing $500bn earlier this year.
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