Novo hits back at rivals with cut-price Wegovy subscriptions

Trying to claw back market share in the weight-loss category, Novo Nordisk has launched a subscription-based service for cash payers that offers Wegovy at a "lower, predictable monthly price."

Discounts of nearly 30% are on offer through the service, which gets underway through Novo Nordisk and some of its telehealth partners, including Ro, WeightWatchers, and LifeMD, with three-, six- and 12-month options available. Other telehealth companies, such as Hims & Hers and Sesame, are also due to go live with the subscription programme soon.

According to the Danish group, patients can save up to $600 per year on the Wegovy (semaglutide) pill, launched at the start of this year, and up to $1,200 a year on the weekly Wegovy injection if they take out a 12-month subscription.

The move comes as Novo Nordisk is experiencing a slowdown in sales growth for Wegovy, with its US revenues from the drug actually going into reverse in the fourth quarter of 2025, while rival Eli Lilly is still seeing strong growth for its rival weight-loss drug Zepbound (tirzepatide).

Novo Nordisk has acknowledged it has lost ground in the market of late, both to Lilly and cut-price competition from compounding pharmacies, and has seen its share price plummet over the last few quarters. Last year, it brought in a new chief executive to turn things around and started a restructuring effort to cut costs, whilst taking on its rivals with hefty price reductions.

The new subscription scheme means Wegovy injection will cost direct-pay customers $329 per month for a three-month subscription, reducing to $299 for six months and $249 for 12. For Wegovy pill, the subscriptions will be $289, $269, and $249, respectively. The reductions up to around 29%.

In comparison, Lilly's current self-pay prices for injectable Zepbound range from $299 to $449, depending on dose. It is still waiting for an FDA decision on its oral therapy orforglipron, which could come in the next few weeks.

"The new Wegovy subscription programme removes barriers, providing people who enrol a simple, affordable, and consistent way to start and stay on genuine, FDA-approved treatment," said Ed Cinca, head of marketing and patient solutions at Novo Nordisk.

"By providing predictable monthly pricing, multi-month options, and access through trusted telehealth providers, this programme aims to support a more manageable way for people to stay on treatment and focus on achieving meaningful, sustainable weight loss outcomes," he added.

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