Ozempic is getting cheaper as Novo Nordisk rushes to undercut Eli Lilly

Novo Nordisk announced on Monday that, starting immediately, it is offering a two-month introductory price of $199 a month for U.S.-based cash buyers of its top-selling diabetes and weight loss drugs — Ozempic and Wegovy. It's also lowering the "standard" price for existing cash buyers to $349 a month from $499.

The discounts make Novo Nordisk’s drugs price-competitive with Eli Lilly $LLY’s similar weight loss drug Zepbound, which is available through the LillyDirect platform for $299 per month at the lowest dose for cash-paying customers. Lilly is charging $449 per month for its highest doses, and Nordisk’s highest doses will still cost $499.

Novo Nordisk and Lilly’s drugs all work by targeting the GLP-1 hormone that controls appetite. The drugs carry a list price of $1,000 and up per month, though considerable discounts and rebates are available to bring the price down.

Nordisk’s discounts come after both company’s reached a November 6 agreement with the Trump administration to reduce the cost next year for Wegovy and Zepbound to $350 per month on the TrumpRx portal, trending down to $245 per month over a two-year period. The drugs will also be available to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries for the treatment of  weight loss for the first time.

Novo Nordisk said its cash-pay offers are available through the websites Wegovy.com and Ozempic.com. They're also accessible via the company’s direct-to-consumer pharmacy, NovoCare; as well as Costco $COST, various telehealth providers, and more than 70,000 pharmacies. The discounted two-month introductory offer ends on March 31.

A recent poll by KFF found that almost 13% of U.S. adults are currently taking a GLP-1 drug and 25% of those are paying for the drugs out-of-pocket.

Novo Nordisk’s $199 introductory offer is available until March 31, 2026. After the initial two months, patients will move to the new standard monthly self-pay price of $349.