Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) known as on pharmaceutical producer Novo Nordisk to slash costs for 2 of its medicine Wednesday, citing a brand new research on the prices to fabricate the drugs.
The analysis discovered {that a} weekly injection of semaglutide — which is the generic title for Ozempic — could be manufactured at a value between $0.89 and $4.73 per 30 days.
“As we speak, a brand new Yale research discovered that Ozempic prices lower than $5 a month to fabricate. And but, Novo Nordisk costs Individuals almost $1,000 a month for this drug, whereas the identical actual product could be bought for simply $155 a month in Canada and simply $59 in Germany,” Sanders mentioned in an announcement.
The month-to-month value for Ozempic is $935, in keeping with Novo Nordisk’s web site. The producer’s weight reduction drug, Wegovy, can also be a semaglutide injection. Its checklist value is about $1,349 per 30 days.
“As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Well being, Training, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), I’m calling on Novo Nordisk to decrease the checklist value of Ozempic — and the associated drug Wegovy — in America to not more than what they cost for this drug in Canada,” Sanders mentioned within the assertion. “The American persons are sick and bored with paying, by far, the very best costs on the planet for pharmaceuticals whereas the pharmaceutical business enjoys big earnings.”
Novo Nordisk’s web site famous the checklist value is the price earlier than insurance coverage, reductions or rebates are utilized. An evaluation from the American Enterprise Institute final 12 months discovered that most individuals don’t pay the complete listed value for the medicine.
The brand new research appeared on the value to fabricate insulin and the way this value in comparison with that of diabetes therapies like Ozempic and comparable medicine. Researchers at Yale College, King’s School Hospital in London and Medical doctors With out Borders performed the evaluation, which was revealed within the JAMA Community journal Wednesday.
Within the research, researchers concluded their findings present firms may decrease the prices of those diabetes therapies to make them extra accessible globally.
“Excessive costs restrict entry to newer diabetes medicines in lots of nations. The findings of this research recommend that sturdy generic and biosimilar competitors may cut back costs to extra inexpensive ranges and allow enlargement of diabetes therapy globally,” the researchers wrote.
The Hill has reached out to Novo Nordisk for remark.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This materials is probably not revealed, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
