Amazon pharmacy’s low-price weight loss pill tests plan sponsors’ cost strategies
Amazon is selling Novo Nordisk’s new Wegovy weight-loss pill for as little as US$25 a month with insurance, a price that could influence how payers think about coverage for obesity drugs.
According to Reuters, Amazon Pharmacy now offers the once-daily Wegovy pill in the US through insurance plans and a cash-pay option.
Eligible customers with commercial insurance may pay US$25 for a one-month supply, while those without coverage can pay cash starting at US$149 per month.
Reuters also reported that Novo Nordisk set the price of 1.5 mg and 4 mg doses of the pill at US$149 per month for self-paying US patients.
As per CNBC, the oral Wegovy pill enters the market with some of the lowest cash prices in the obesity and diabetes drug space, which costly weekly injections from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have dominated.
Reuters said the success of the pill will depend on attracting cash-paying consumers who cannot get insurance coverage, marking a shift from the usual model where health insurance plans manage drug pricing.
The US Food and Drug Administration approved the Wegovy pill in December.
It contains the same active ingredient as Novo Nordisk’s injectable weight-loss and diabetes treatments marketed under the Wegovy and Ozempic brand names.
Health experts cited by CNBC said oral options could expand obesity treatment access for people who are afraid of needles or view injections as too serious or aggressive.
Distribution is already broad.
According to Reuters, the pill is or will be available through US pharmacies CVS and Costco, telehealth providers including Ro, LifeMD, WeightWatchers, GoodRx and Novo Nordisk’s NovoCare Pharmacy, and Amazon Pharmacy kiosks in the coming weeks.
CNBC reported that the pill is available at more than 70,000 US pharmacies and that Amazon will also offer it through prescription vending kiosks in select One Medical clinics.
Amazon is positioning its pharmacy as an access point in partnership with telehealth providers.
Reuters said Amazon Pharmacy is collaborating with WeightWatchers, Wheel and 9amHealth to help expand access to the treatment.
As per CNBC, Weight Watchers announced a partnership with Amazon Pharmacy in October to deliver weight-loss medications to its members, and Amazon Pharmacy has also worked with Eli Lilly to deliver certain prescription medications, including its obesity drug Zepbound, purchased through Lilly’s direct-to-consumer website.
Competition is building.
Eli Lilly has a rival obesity pill that is slated to win Food and Drug Administration approval later this year, adding another oral option to a rapidly evolving obesity and diabetes drug market that is moving beyond injections.
