Ozempic: Uses and Side Effects
Ozempic is a drug primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes.
Add Sam’s Club to the list of retail pharmacy options for consumers looking to stock up on the expensive weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.
Sam’s Club pharmacies currently sell Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic for $499 per month. Costco is selling blockbuster prescription weight loss medications at the same discounted prices.
Novo Nordisk is expanding its discount retail options for consumers who want to purchase drugs directly. The Danish pharmaceutical company previously announced that prescription drug discount website GoodRx would sell Ozempic and Wegovy for $499 per month. Consumers can also purchase Wegovy prescribed through the company’s NovoCare pharmacies for $499 per month.
The company is seeking to expand purchasing options for Ozempic and WeGobee, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs that suppress users’ appetite and encourage weight loss. Novo Nordisk faces competition from Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Mounjaro, as well as telemedicine companies that sell combination versions of Ozempic and Wegovy despite restrictions on copycat drugs from the Food and Drug Administration.
How can I buy Ozempic and Wegovy at Sam’s Club?
Sam’s Club members can use their Novo Nordisk copay card to purchase Wegovy and Ozempic prescriptions for $499 per month. Retailers also deliver refrigerated injectable medications to homes. Sam’s Club Plus members get free same-day delivery if they order by 2 p.m., while non-members will have to pay $12 for same-day delivery service, the retailer said.
Sam’s Club says it sells temperature-controlled medications such as insulin, antibiotics and other specialty prescription drugs at about 570 pharmacies in the United States.
The warehouse retailer has two membership levels: Club membership costs $50 per year. plus membership The annual cost is $110.
I have insurance. What are my options?
Wegovy is prescribed for weight loss and for adults with obesity and heart disease. Ozempic is prescribed for type 2 diabetes.
The survey found that insurers were more likely to cover GLP-1 drugs prescribed for diabetes or heart disease. By 2024, 44% of all large employers covered GLP-1 drugs for obesity, up from 41% in 2023, according to benefits consultant Mercer.
Wegovy’s list price is $1,349 for a one-month dose, but Novo Nordisk said most customers pay much less. Novo Nordisk said about nine in 10 consumers whose insurance plans include Ozempic pay less than $25 per month. Customers who pay out-of-pocket can get the drug for as low as $499 at Costco, Sam’s Club, GoodRx and the drugmaker’s NovoCare pharmacies.
