News
Press release
Wed, 05 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0500
Wed, 05 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0500
Novo Nordisk introduces NovoCare® Pharmacy, lowering cost of all doses of FDA-approved Wegovy® (semaglutide) to $499 per month and offering easy home delivery for cash-paying patients
- NovoCare® Pharmacy provides direct-to-patient, convenient home shipments of all dose strengths of Wegovy® at a reduced cost of $499 per month for cash-paying patients
- While 90% of patients taking Wegovy ® have a co-pay of $0 to $25 per month, this offer was designed to support cash-paying patients without insurance coverage
- Amidst the dangers of fake or illegitimate compounded "semaglutide," NovoCare® Pharmacy offers reliable access to authentic, FDA-approved Wegovy® in our once-weekly, single-dose pen
PLAINSBORO, N.J., March 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing efforts to ensure patients who need Wegovy® (semaglutide) injection 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, and 2.4 mg can access it, Novo Nordisk launched NovoCare® Pharmacy, a direct-to-patient delivery option that offers cash-paying patients all dose strengths of Wegovy® at a reduced cost of $499 per month. This offer is available for uninsured patients or eligible patients with commercial insurance who do not have coverage for obesity medicines. NovoCare® Pharmacy expands the company's toolkit of offerings to meet the diverse needs of people living with obesity. This announcement follows the recent FDA decision that the shortage of this medicine is resolved, with all dose strengths of Wegovy® meeting or exceeding both current and projected U.S. demand.
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"Novo Nordisk continues to advance solutions for patients that improve affordability and access to our medicines, whether they have insurance or not. Today, over 55 million people in the U.S. have coverage specifically for weight management medicines, and 90% of Wegovy® patients with coverage pay $0 to $25 a month for Wegovy®," said Dave Moore, Executive Vice President, U.S. Operations and Global Business Development and President of Novo Nordisk Inc. "With NovoCare® Pharmacy, patients and prescribers alike have another option that provides convenient access to all doses of real, FDA-approved Wegovy® at a reduced cost in our high-quality pen."
NovoCare® Pharmacy provides cash-paying patients who have been prescribed Wegovy® with the ability to schedule shipments of their Wegovy® prescriptions directly to their home. These home shipments are fulfilled by CenterWell Pharmacy, a six-time Specialty Pharmacy Patient Choice award winner for best-in-class customer satisfaction and commitment to patient care. Beyond convenient home delivery, NovoCare® also supports patients with benefit verification, refill reminders, and access to live support from a NovoCare® case manager. More information about NovoCare® Pharmacy is available at NovoCare.com
Additionally, NovoCare® Pharmacy offers patients access to authentic, FDA-approved Wegovy®, helping to avoid the significant risks that can be posed by the compounding marketplace, as warned by respected organizations, experts in the medical community, and the FDA. With an FDA-approved medicine like Wegovy®, healthcare professionals and patients can have clarity and confidence in knowing the medicine they are using has undergone rigorous review for safety, effectiveness, and quality. In the near future, the overall savings offer for Wegovy® will be updated so that cash-paying patients who use traditional retail pharmacies will also benefit from this lower price.
Novo Nordisk is continuing to take multiple proactive measures to keep patients safe. More information can be found on semaglutide.com.
About Wegovy® (semaglutide) injection 2.4 mg
What is Wegovy®?
WEGOVY® (semaglutide) injection 2.4 mg is an injectable prescription medicine used with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity:
- to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack, or stroke in adults with known heart disease and with either obesity or overweight.
- that may help adults and children aged 12 years and older with obesity, or some adults with overweight who also have weight-related medical problems, to help them lose excess body weight and keep the weight off.
Wegovy® contains semaglutide and should not be used with other semaglutide-containing products or other GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines.
It is not known if Wegovy® is safe and effective for use in children under 12 years of age.
Important Safety Information
What is the most important information I should know about Wegovy®? Wegovy® may cause serious side effects, including:
- Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer. Tell your healthcare provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may be symptoms of thyroid cancer. In studies with rodents, Wegovy® and medicines that work like Wegovy® caused thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. It is not known if Wegovy® will cause thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in people
- Do not use Wegovy® if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
Do not use Wegovy® if:
- you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
- you have had a serious allergic reaction to semaglutide or any of the ingredients in Wegovy®
Before using Wegovy®, tell your healthcare provider if you have any other medical conditions, including if you:
- have or have had problems with your pancreas or kidneys
- have type 2 diabetes and a history of diabetic retinopathy
- have or have had depression, suicidal thoughts, or mental health issues
- are scheduled to have surgery or other procedures that use anesthesia or deep sleepiness (deep sedation)
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Wegovy® may harm your unborn baby. You should stop using Wegovy® 2 months before you plan to become pregnant
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Wegovy® passes into your breast milk
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Wegovy® may affect the way some medicines work and some medicines may affect the way Wegovy® works. Tell your healthcare provider if you are taking other medicines to treat diabetes, including sulfonylureas or insulin. Wegovy® slows stomach emptying and can affect medicines that need to pass through the stomach quickly.
What are the possible side effects of Wegovy®?
Wegovy® may cause serious side effects, including:
- inflammation of your pancreas (pancreatitis). Stop using Wegovy® and call your healthcare provider right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that will not go away, with or without vomiting. You may feel the pain from your abdomen to your back
- gallbladder problems. Wegovy® may cause gallbladder problems, including gallstones. Some gallstones may need surgery. Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms, such as pain in your upper stomach (abdomen), fever, yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), or clay colored stools
- increased risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), especially those who also take medicines for diabetes such as insulin or sulfonylureas. This can be a serious side effect. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to recognize and treat low blood sugar and check your blood sugar before you start and while you take Wegovy®. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include dizziness or light-headedness, blurred vision, anxiety, irritability or mood changes, sweating, slurred speech, hunger, confusion or drowsiness, shakiness, weakness, headache, fast heartbeat, or feeling jittery
- kidney problems (kidney failure). In people who have kidney problems, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may cause a loss of fluids (dehydration), which may cause kidney problems to get worse. It is important for you to drink fluids to help reduce your chance of dehydration
- severe stomach problems. Stomach problems, sometimes severe, have been reported in people who use Wegovy®. Tell your healthcare provider if you have stomach problems that are severe or will not go away.
- serious allergic reactions. Stop using Wegovy® and get medical help right away, if you have any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; problems breathing or swallowing; severe rash or itching; fainting or feeling dizzy; or very rapid heartbeat
- change in vision in people with type 2 diabetes. Tell your healthcare provider if you have changes in vision during treatment with Wegovy®
- increased heart rate. Wegovy® can increase your heart rate while you are at rest. Tell your healthcare provider if you feel your heart racing or pounding in your chest and it lasts for several minutes
- depression or thoughts of suicide. You should pay attention to any mental changes, especially sudden changes in your mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any mental changes that are new, worse, or worry you
- food or liquid getting into the lungs during surgery or other procedures that use anesthesia or deep sleepiness (deep sedation). Wegovy® may increase the chance of food getting into your lungs during surgery or other procedures. Tell all your healthcare providers that you are taking Wegovy® before you are scheduled to have surgery or other procedures
The most common side effects of Wegovy® may include: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach (abdomen) pain, headache, tiredness (fatigue), upset stomach, dizziness, feeling bloated, belching, low blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, gas, stomach flu, heartburn, and runny nose or sore throat.
Please see Medication Guide and Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning, for Wegovy® at https://www.novo-pi.com/wegovy.pdf
About Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company that's been making innovative medicines to help people with diabetes lead longer, healthier lives for more than 100 years. This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that also enable us to drive change to help people defeat other serious chronic diseases such as obesity, rare blood, and endocrine disorders. We remain steadfast in our conviction that the formula for lasting success is to stay focused, think long-term, and do business in a financially, socially, and environmentally responsible way. With U.S. headquarters in New Jersey and commercial, production, and research facilities in seven states plus Washington DC, Novo Nordisk employs approximately 8,000 people throughout the country. For more information, visit novonordisk-us.com, Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Novo Nordisk is committed to the responsible use of our semaglutide-containing medicines which represent distinct products with different indications, dosages, prescribing information, titration schedules, and delivery forms. These products are not interchangeable and should not be used outside of their approved indications. Learn more at semaglutide.com.
About CenterWell
CenterWell is a leading health care services business focused on creating integrated and differentiated experiences that put our patients at the center of everything we do. The result is high quality health care that is accessible, comprehensive, and, most of all, personalized. CenterWell is the largest provider of senior-focused primary care, one of the leading providers of home health care, and a leading integrated home delivery, specialty, hospice, and retail pharmacy. CenterWell Pharmacy's home delivery pharmacy services are designed to provide safe, convenient, and affordable access to medications, while supporting adherence to treatment plans.
CenterWell is part of Humana Inc. Learn more about what we offer at CenterWell.com.
SOURCE NOVO NORDISK INC.