Eighty percent of patients in the U.S. with insurance coverage who are taking Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug Wegovy pay less than $25 a month for the drug, CNBC reported Nov. 2.
In a third-quarter earnings call Nov. 2, Novo Nordisk leaders said most major health plans and pharmacy benefit managers in the U.S. are covering the drug, which has a monthly list price of about $1,350. Doug Langa, the company's vice president for North America, estimated that 50 million Amercans with obesity may be eligible for coverage of the GLP-1 drug through their health plan.
"Directionally, we're heading in the right direction and our focus will be continuing on securing employer coverage as well as stronger access for Americans overall," Mr. Langa said during the call, according to CNBC.
Payers and self-insured employers have consistently ended coverage for weight loss medications over the last year as demand for GLP-1s surges, citing high costs and low adherence rates. Novo Nordisk is hoping new data indicating Wegovy reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes might ease insurers' hesitancy and encourage them to cover the drug.