January 5, 2026 05:09 AM ESTUpdated 08:03 AM Pharma
Updated: Novo Nordisk launches Wegovy pill for as little as $25 a month for insured patients
Elizabeth Cairns
Senior biopharma journalist
Novo Nordisk will launch the pill form of its obesity med Wegovy in the US on Monday, saying that it could cost insured patients as little as $25 per month. Prescriptions for the starter dose of the pill can be filled from 8 a.m. ET; higher strength pills will be available by end of the week.
This price is roughly on par with what insured patients taking the injected form of Wegovy pay.
The Wegovy pill will be significantly cheaper for insured patients than for patients who pay out of pocket. The cash-pay price that Novo agreed to with the Trump administration in November was $149 per month for the starter dose. This price still stands for self-paying customers, according to the Wegovy pill website.
According to the site, cash-pay customers can get the two lower doses of the daily pill, 1.5 mg and 4 mg, for $149 per month. However, after April 15, the price of the 4 mg dose will rise to $199 per month. The higher doses, 9 mg and 25 mg, will be sold for $299 per month.
The Wegovy pill’s label states that patients can have their dose increased each month to a maximum maintenance dose of 25 mg. The drug was approved by the FDA on Dec. 22.
As well as obesity, the pill is also indicated as a way to cut the risk of major cardiovascular events like death, heart attack or stroke in patients with overweight or obesity and cardiovascular disease.
The cash channels through which the Wegovy pill will be sold include Novo’s own direct-to-consumer service, NovoCare Pharmacy, and telehealth providers including Ro, LifeMD, Weight Watchers and GoodRx, the company said. The pill can also be bought from brick-and-mortar pharmacies.
As for the insured patients, the $25 price point is subject to maximum savings of $100 per month, the website said.
However, it is not clear how many patients will be able to pick up the pill at the $25 price. The price applies only to commercially covered patients. Patients covered by government programs are excluded.
The move throws a gauntlet at Eli Lilly’s feet. The world’s first trillion-dollar pharma expects approval of its own obesity pill, orforglipron, this quarter, and though orforglipron is more convenient to take than the Wegovy pill, Lilly will likely want to price it competitively.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated throughout.
AUTHOR
Elizabeth Cairns
Senior biopharma journalist
ecairns@endpointsnews.com
Elizabeth Cairns on LinkedIn
