WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – On Capitol Hill lawmakers grilled the CEO of the company that makes popular weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.
They clashed over the cost of the medicine and who is to blame for it.
Senators say the price of Ozempic and Wegovy is outrageously high and unfairly inflated, but the drug maker argues lowering costs is complicated.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) got heated about the price tag of popular weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.
“It is not just an issue of corporate greed. It is a profound moral issue,” said Sanders.
He says drugmaker, Novo Nordisk, is raking in billions in profits from the medication while Americans who struggle with diabetes and obesity have to shell out around $1000 a month to get the drugs.
“If not made affordable, Americans throughout this country will needlessly die and suffer,” said Sanders.
Sanders demanded answers about why people in the U.S. are charged so much more for the drugs than those in other countries.
“It’s a very complex market, very complex healthcare system that creates a lot of misunderstanding,” said Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen.
The CEO insists the high costs aren’t decided by his company but by insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers who negotiate prices.
“Novo Nordisk is not the villain in this story. They’re a hero,” said Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.).
Some Republicans defended the drugmaker arguing congressional interference could stifle medical innovation and hurt businesses who deserve to earn a profit.
“Sometimes we live in a fantasy land. Which is we want you to invest massive amounts of money, but then we want you to keep the prices low,” said Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah.).
Novo Nordisk says most Americans who get the drugs under insurance only pay around $25 a month.