Shut-up of a hand holding a cellphone displaying the Amazon Pharmacy system, Lafayette, California, September 15, 2021.
Smith Assortment | Gado | Getty Pictures
Amazon introduced Friday it now presents Novo Nordisk‘s Wegovy weight-loss tablet by means of its digital pharmacy.
Novo Nordisk started rolling out an oral model of its injectable weight problems drug Wegovy within the U.S. on Monday, providing a beginning dose for cash-paying sufferers at $149 per thirty days. Sufferers with insurance coverage protection can get the tablet for as little as $25 a month.
The each day tablet enters the market with a few of the lowest money costs within the booming weight problems and diabetes drug house, which pricey weekly injections from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have lengthy dominated. Its availability on Amazon underscores Novo Nordisk’s technique to develop past conventional channels and attain new sufferers.
Amazon stated eligible prospects with insurance coverage will pay as little as $25 for a one-month provide of the drug. Its cash-pay possibility will begin at $149 a month.
Within the coming weeks, Amazon stated it’ll additionally provide the Wegovy tablet by means of its prescription merchandising kiosks, that are situated in choose One Medical clinics.
The e-commerce big launched Amazon Pharmacy in 2020 as a part of its deeper push into the multitrillion-dollar U.S. health-care business. The service was born out of its acquisition of on-line pharmacy PillPack for roughly $750 million in 2018. It then purchased primary-care clinic One Medical in 2022 for $3.9 billion.
Amazon has sought to draw customers to its service by providing speedy supply and value transparency. It presents same-day prescription supply to just about half of U.S. customers, Amazon stated.
The corporate hasn’t disclosed what number of customers Amazon Pharmacy has, however analysts have estimated it might generate about $2 billion in annual income.
In October, WeightWatchers stated it will companion with Amazon Pharmacy to ship weight-loss medicines for its members. Amazon Pharmacy has additionally collaborated with Eli Lilly to assist ship sure prescription medicines, together with its weight problems drug Zepbound, bought by means of the drugmaker’s direct-to-consumer web site.
After its launch this week, the Novo Nordisk tablet can also be out there at greater than 70,000 U.S. pharmacies reminiscent of CVS and Costco, in addition to choose telehealth suppliers, together with Ro, LifeMD, Weight Watchers, GoodRx and Novo Nordisk’s NovoCare Pharmacy.
Money-paying sufferers may also be capable of entry the beginning dose of the tablet for $149 per thirty days on President Donald Trump‘s direct-to-consumer web site, TrumpRx, below a deal Novo Nordisk struck together with his administration in November. The location additionally launches in January, although it is unclear when.
Well being consultants say oral choices might develop weight problems remedy entry within the U.S., doubtless reaching fully new individuals who had been afraid of needles or believed injections had been too severe or aggressive for them to start out.
Eli Lilly has a rival weight problems tablet that’s slated to win Meals and Drug Administration approval later this 12 months.
