Nordic's popular weight-loss drug, which has taken the United States by storm, has now arrived in the United Kingdom, with a price tag of less than one-fifth of what it costs in the US.
In the UK, the minimum price for Wegovy, the "miracle weight-loss drug" from Novo Nordisk, which is sold for over $1300 per month in the United States, is £199, approximately $251, which is only about 19% of the price in the US. Due to the limited supply of Novo Nordisk's medication, most UK patients will have to wait for a period of time. Currently, only about 50,000 patients in England are able to use this medication.
The "weight loss miracle drug" Wegovy from Novo Nordisk, which caused a sensation in the United States, has now landed in the UK. The cost for UK patients is as low as 20% of what American patients pay.
This prescription drug can suppress appetite and is priced between £199 ($251) and £299 ($377) per month, depending on the dosage from Boots and Simple Online Pharmacy. Another chain pharmacy, Superdrug, sells it for £199 to £295 per month.
This means that Wegovy's monthly price in the UK is only about 19% of the price in the US, where the drug costs over $1300 per month.
Wegovy's price in the US is also higher than in most European countries. In Germany, the price of this drug is slightly higher than €300 (about $323).
On Monday, September 4th, Novo Nordisk's stock price reached a record high of DKK 1331.4 during trading, surpassing luxury goods group LVMH as the highest-valued listed company in Europe. Since the beginning of this year, Novo Nordisk's stock price has risen by nearly 40%.
Since the end of 2018, the stock price of Novo Nordisk, a Danish company, has more than quadrupled, and its market value has surpassed not only its European pharmaceutical competitors Roche Holding and Novartis, but also Denmark's GDP.
Although this drug is relatively cheap in the UK, most patients who have registered to use it will have to wait due to limited supply from Novo Nordisk.
The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK stated that despite the limited supply from Novo Nordisk, approximately 50,000 patients in England can use Wegovy.
Superdrug stated that 20,000 people have already registered earlier this year, and the demand in the UK is expected to be very high. Rebecca Moore, Chief Operating Officer of Simple Online Pharmacy, stated that over 50,000 people have registered to use the drug even before its launch, leading to a significant increase in website traffic. She expects the demand for Wegovy in the UK to be higher than in other countries such as the US and Denmark. She said that patients seeking weight loss drugs usually have been suffering from obesity for five years or longer.
Since August of this year, Novo Nordisk has frequently received positive news, and even Tesla CEO Musk has promoted its weight loss miracle drug. On August 8th, a large-scale clinical trial data showed that Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug Wegovy reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke in overweight or obese people with a history of heart disease by 20%, exceeding market expectations.