Pharma Exec Will Testify About Ozempic's Absurd Price Tag After Pressure From Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders, the autarkic Senator from Vermont, has long been railing against the terms of medicine medications successful the U.S., arsenic Americans wage the highest prices for drugs successful the world. But Sen. Sanders scored a triumph connected Friday, arsenic the CEO of Novo Nordisk, the shaper of Ozempic, agreed to attest astir the prices he’s charging consumers.

Sen. Sanders is president of the Senate Committee connected Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), wherever he’s been investigating Big Pharma and the prices that Americans are forced to wage for drugs that person been utilized successful caller years for value nonaccomplishment similar Ozempic and Wegovy.

Sanders had antecedently planned to subpoena Lars Jørgensen, the CEO of Denmark-based Novo Nordisk, to unit him to testify. But the legislator announced precocious Friday that Jørgensen has agreed to voluntarily look earlier his committee successful September.

“I enjoyed the accidental of chatting with Mr. Jørgensen this day and convey him for agreeing to voluntarily attest connected a solo sheet earlier the HELP Committee connected the precocious outgo of Ozempic and Wegovy successful the United States,” Sen. Sanders said successful a press release. “The scheduled subpoena ballot is nary longer indispensable and volition beryllium canceled.”

“The American radical are sick and bushed of paying, by far, the highest prices successful the satellite for medicine drugs,” Sanders said. “Novo Nordisk presently charges Americans with Type 2 diabetes $969 a period for Ozempic, portion this aforesaid nonstop cause tin beryllium purchased for conscionable $155 successful Canada and conscionable $59 successful Germany. Novo Nordisk besides charges Americans with obesity $1,349 a period for Wegovy, portion this aforesaid nonstop merchandise tin beryllium purchased for conscionable $140 successful Germany and $92 successful the United Kingdom.”

Part of the occupation is that it’s amerciable for Medicare to negociate with the cause companies connected astir medications, thing that lone changed recently. The Inflation Reduction Act passed successful 2022 volition present let Medicare to negociate connected conscionable 10 drugs, but Big Pharma has been warring that humble alteration successful court. KFF News reports that Ozempic and Wegovy could perchance beryllium up for dialog adjacent year, but Medicare hasn’t released the database of which caller drugs whitethorn beryllium negotiable until September.

But incremental alteration for the amended is preferable to nary change. And the aforesaid goes for having pharmaceutical executives look to reply questions astir terms gouging. Sen. Sanders is the 1 to convey successful this peculiar case.

“The Committee looks guardant to Mr. Jørgensen explaining wherefore Americans are paying up to 10 oregon 15 times much for these medications than radical successful different countries,” Sanders said.