By Jaimy Lee
It's the latest move by Novo Nordisk to compete against Eli Lilly, which has dominated the GLP-1 market
Novo Nordisk said its new high-dose version of the Wegovy injection is now available.
Novo Nordisk has launched the high-dose version of its GLP-1 injection at a price that's $50 lower than the one for Eli Lilly's competing drug.
For patients paying cash, Wegovy HD has a price of $399 per month. That's compared to $449, the cash price for the four highest doses of Lilly's Zepbound that are sold as a pen.
Denmark-listed shares of Novo (DK:NOVO.B) (NVO) were up 2.7% on Wednesday morning, the day after the launch. Lilly's shares (LLY) gained about 1.6% in premarket trading.
The drugmakers, which have long competed in the insulin market, are vying to lead the constantly evolving market for weight-loss drugs. They both sell GLP-1 injections for obesity and Type 2 diabetes, in addition to the new oral GLP-1 pills for weight loss. These medications have reshaped how obesity and the overweight are treated and opened the door to a new scientific field that's assessing GLP-1s for everything from osteoarthritis to alcohol addiction.
Until the Food and Drug Administration approved Wegovy HD last month, the highest available dose of Novo's GLP-1 injection was 2.4 mg. Wegovy HD is three times higher, at 7.2 mg per dose.
Novo was the first company to bring to market a GLP-1 for weight loss in 2021, but Lilly's medicine is now the world's top-selling drug, taking into account sales for diabetes and weight loss. One reason that Wegovy may have struggled to compete against Zepbound is that Lilly's drug is more effective - and that may be due to the fact that the highest dose of Zepbound since its approval in 2023 is 15 mg.
&#34;Even with the new higher weight-loss efficacy on label, we see an uphill battle for the company as it fights to regain share from Lilly and grow the broader incretin market,&#34; BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan David Seigerman told investors last month.
-Jaimy Lee
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04-08-26 0615ET

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Novo Nordisk has launched a high-dose version of its Wegovy injection priced at $399 per month, $50 less than Eli Lilly's Zepbound. This move aims to compete in the GLP-1 market, where both companies sell drugs for obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Wegovy HD, approved by the FDA, offers a dose of 7.2 mg, compared to Zepbound's 15 mg. Despite the launch, analysts suggest Novo faces challenges in regaining market share from Lilly, which currently leads in sales.

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A high dose of Wegovy will cost $50 less than Zepbound