Next time you’re cruisin’ through Costco to get your $1.50 hot dog and bulk chicken thighs, if Ozempic or Wegovy are also on your list, you’re in luck.
Novo Nordisk, the company that owns both Wegovy and Ozempic, will be selling the medicine at nearly half the out-of-pocket price of other pharmacies at just $499.
The company’s U.S. president David Moore, told NBC News that selling in Costco was a way to “offer the real, authentic Wegovy and Ozempic to patients who seek care.”
The drug is not fully covered on many insurances and it can cost almost $1,000 per pen. But the new steep Costco discount could be because the market has opened up.
Because it is both expensive and can be in short supply, compound pharmacies made copycat generic GLP-1 medications. The FDA released a statement with concerns about some compounding pharmacies using ingredients that weren’t FDA-approved.
Additionally, a competitor to Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, also released a GLP-1 medication called Zepbound for a similar price point in February of this year.
What’s the difference between Ozempic and Wegovy?
While the medications share the same active ingredient in different dosages, Wegovy was approved by the FDA for weight loss and Ozempic is approved by the FDA for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Excess weight gain is a symptom of type 2 diabetes, which can result in weight loss being a health goal for patients.
GLP-1, the main ingredient in both Ozempic and Wegovy, mimics a hormone naturally produced in the body that can “trick” it into feeling full for longer.
A reduction in the volume of food someone eats can cause weight loss, but for people with type 2 diabetes, a genetic insulin resistance, the drugs do more. Ozempic causes the pancreas to produce more of its own insulin when blood sugar is high, which, over time, can lead to greater insulin sensitivity.
When the body can correctly dispose of sugar by producing more insulin, it can lead to more stable blood sugars. Controlling blood sugar with type 2 diabetes in the long term can keep patients from experiencing complications from the illness, like heart or kidney disease and nerve damage.
Ozempic also reduces glucagon, a hormone from the pancreas that raises blood sugar, which is another reason it is effective in treating type 2 diabetes.
Common side effects are nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea and constipation.
They typically improve after repeated use of the medication.
However, it has been known to cause more serious issues like pancreatitis, gall bladder issues, thyroid tumors and muscle loss associated with rapid weight loss.
More research is being conducted in the realm of GLP-1s, including benefits in for heart health, brain health, addiction treatment and more. The science is still news, however, and more studies will be done.
This discount will reduce the number of barriers to patients, but it is only for Costco shoppers, which requires a yearly membership.