Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) shares moved higher on Monday after it was announced that US patients can access its diabetes drug Ozempic at a cheaper price through several platforms, expanding access to the therapy for those who do not have insurance coverage.
Patients can pay $499 in cash per month through the drug’s website, Novo Nordisk’s patient assistance program, the company’s direct-to-consumer online pharmacy and via drug savings platform GoodRx (NASDAQ:GDRX).
GoodRx will also make Novo Nordisk’s weight loss drug Wegovy available to cash-paying customers for $499 per month.
“Improving access to effective Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment is central to our mission, and our collaboration with GoodRx allows us to reach those who seek savings and support from their trusted and established platform,” NovoNordisk’s executive vice president of US operations Dave Moore said in a statement.
“This initiative enables us to meet GoodRx patients where they are with our authentic GLP-1 medicines in addition to supporting the launch of the new Ozempic self-pay offer for type 2 diabetes patients at an unprecedented price.”
This built on Friday’s announcement that Wegovy has been approved by the FDA as a treatment for a progressive liver disease called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
The approval was based on a Phase 3 trial showing 62.9% of patients achieved resolution of liver inflammation without worsening fibrosis, significantly outperforming placebo.
“Wegovy is now uniquely positioned as the first and only GLP-1 treatment approved for MASH, complementing the already proven weight loss, cardiovascular benefits and extensive body of evidence linked to semaglutide,” Novo Nordisk chief scientific officer Martin Holst Lange said.
Shares of Novo Nordisk added 4.7% at about $54 late morning on Monday, while GoodRx shares surged almost 35% to $5.