By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Bhanvi Satija
COPENHAGEN/LONDON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is launching its once-daily Wegovy pill in the United States on Monday, offering 1.5 milligram
(mg) and 4 mg doses at $149 per month for self-paying patients in an intensely competitive weight-loss drug market.
The pill was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month, a boon to Novo Nordisk as it looks to regain ground lost to U.S. rival Eli Lilly. Lilly awaits U.S. approval for its weight-loss pill, possibly by March.
The Wegovy pill could attract new consumers as Novo looks to revive its fortunes after profit warnings and sliding shares in 2025. The pill offers consumers a more flexible regime and an alternative for those who dislike needles used in injectable medication.
LURING CASH CUSTOMERS LIKELY TO HELP PILL'S SUCCESS
A key part to success for the pill will be attracting cash-paying consumers who cannot get insurance coverage, a stark shift from the dominant business model where drug pricing is managed through health insurance plans.
Novo's pill will also be sold in 9 mg and a higher long-term dose of 25 mg. The drugmaker's website, which revealed the pill launch on Monday, showed that the two higher doses will be priced at $299 for a month's supply, while the 4 mg dose will rise to $199 from April 15.
Lilly has said it plans to cap higher doses of its obesity pill at $399 a month for repeat cash buyers. Lilly's injectable drug Zepbound has largely been ahead of Novo's Wegovy in weekly U.S. prescriptions over the past year.
Novo's pill contains semaglutide, the active ingredient found in its blockbuster injectable weight loss and obesity treatments, marketed under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic.
Novo already sells an oral semaglutide for type 2 diabetes under the brand name Rybelsus.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copenhagen and Bhanvi Satija in London, writing by Anna Ringstrom; Editing by Terje Solsvik, Adam Jourdan and Bernadette Baum)
