Novo Nordisk Lowers Semaglutide WAC to $675

Novo Nordisk announced a new U.S. wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) of $675 per month for Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus, with the change taking effect January 1, 2027, according to the company’s press release. The release says the decision applies across the doses and formulations included in the announcement. Novo Nordisk presents the update as a change to listed U.S. pricing terms and describes it within its stated efforts around affordability and access.

The release describes the new list price as representing reductions of approximately 50% for Wegovy and approximately 35% for Ozempic relative to the current list price. Novo Nordisk specifies that the pricing applies to Wegovy (semaglutide) injection 2.4 mg and tablets 25 mg, Ozempic (semaglutide) injection 0.5 mg, 1 mg, and 2 mg, and Rybelsus (semaglutide) tablets 7 mg or 14 mg, and it adds that the decision applies to all doses of these medicines.

The company’s rationale is framed around affordability and access, with the release describing the move as intended to address access barriers and enhance affordability for patients and for both public and private payers. In a quoted statement, Novo Nordisk leadership says private and public payers, as well as patients, have been calling for lower list prices and characterizes the change as a response. The release also highlights patients whose out-of-pocket costs may track with list price, citing individuals in high-deductible health plans or with co-insurance benefit designs as examples. Overall, the company positions the pricing change as an access-oriented measure tied to list-price dynamics for multiple stakeholders.

Operationally, the release includes an explicit clarification that these changes in list price do not have an impact on direct-to-patient, self-pay prices, separating the announced WAC update from cash-pay pricing as the company describes it.

Key Takeaways:

• The release reports that Novo Nordisk will set a new U.S. list-price (WAC) level for the three named semaglutide medicines on a stated future effective date.
• Novo Nordisk frames the change as intended to support affordability and access, and it explicitly references both payers and patients whose cost-sharing may be tied to list price.
• The announcement notes that list-price changes do not affect direct-to-patient self-pay prices and does not describe specific payer-policy or operational implementation steps.