Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cash-Paying US Customers May Buy Ozempic At Discounted Rate Of $499
FiercePharma: Novo Nordisk Unveils $499 Cash-Pay Ozempic Offering
Eligible self-paying patients with Type 2 diabetes will now be able to purchase their prescribed Ozempic for $499 per month, the Danish pharma announced Monday. The lower-cost doses—coming in at half the med’s list price of about $1,000—will be available for home delivery via NovoCare and from traditional pharmacies through a collaboration with GoodRx. (Park, 8/18)
AInvest: GoodRx And Novo Nordisk: A Strategic Alliance Reshaping Diabetes Drug Pricing And Market Access
The partnership between GoodRx and Novo Nordisk represents a seismic shift in the diabetes drug sector, redefining pricing power and market access for GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs). (Northwood, 8/19)
On tariffs and drug costs —
Bloomberg: Shionogi Weighs Making Antibiotics In US Amid Rising Tariffs
Shionogi & Co. is weighing producing its antibiotic Fetroja in the US as the pharma industry comes under pressure from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The Japanese drugmaker is “actively” considering the option, with a goal of starting supply during the Trump administration, though no decision has been made on a site or investment, according to a spokesman. The company expects the medicine - used to treat multi-drug resistance bacterial infection - to become a key product as cases of antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, increase. (Matsuyama, 8/18)
Becker's Hospital Review: How Health Systems Are Bracing For Tariffs
As the Trump administration moves forward with sweeping tariffs aimed at increasing U.S. manufacturing, health systems are ramping up efforts to protect patients from potential effects. At Renton, Wash.-based Providence, COO Darryl Elmouchi, MD, said the health system has implemented a supply chain risk management program to help prepare for challenges with respect to tariffs. (Murphy, 8/18)
Stat: Trump's Top Weapon To Lower Drug Prices Is A Law Signed By Biden
President Trump may aggressively negotiate lower drug prices in Medicare using a program that Democrats created and Trump rarely mentions in public. (Wilkerson, 8/19)
Stat: Pharma Is Pivoting To Expand Direct-To-Consumer Sales. Will Prices Come Down?
Among the demands that President Trump has made to the pharmaceutical industry to lower drug prices, there’s been one that companies have enthusiastically supported: selling drugs directly to consumers. (Chen, 8/19)
