We live in a world where $1 billion of prescription medications are left at the pharmacy counter each year, often because patients can’t afford them. But there’s been good news about drug prices lately, especially if you’re interested in the weight-loss meds everyone is talking about. Last week, medication-savings company GoodRx announced a deal with Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, that lets anyone with a prescription get the type 2 diabetes and anti-obesity drugs for $499 per month. It’s about 60 percent off the list price, which is currently over $1,300 per month without health insurance coverage.
“Despite the surge in demand for these medications,
GoodRx research
shows that 19 million Americans lack any coverage for them,” says Divya Iyer, Senior Vice President at GoodRx. This new partnership-which cuts out middlemen long blamed for driving up our pharmacy bills- “shows real momentum” toward better options for self-paying patients.
Yes, $499 is still too pricey for many of us. But trendwatchers say it’s a sign that change is coming. Because this GoodRx Ozempic deal should force other drug companies “to keep prices in a similar range or lower,” says
Aayyush Goyal, a pharmaceutical supply chain expert and founder of MedsPartner.
On top of that, he notes, it may pressure insurance companies to expand coverage as well as force pharmacy middlemen to rethink tactics that make medication difficult to afford.
Who can benefit from the GoodRx Ozempic deal?
Since early 2025, self-paying patients have been able to get $499 Ozempic and Wegovy shipped to them from the manufacturer’s NovoCare pharmacy. If mailorder is a hassle for you, the GoodRx option lets you use a local pharmacy to fill your prescription for the GLP-1 drugs. “GoodRx has a network of over 70,000 retail pharmacies nationwide, so this is a game changer in terms of meeting people where they are,” says
Iyer.
It’s also a safe and effective alternative to cheaper “compounded” versions of weight-loss drugs sold on the Internet. These options-which are made by pharmacies using a kind of chemical recipe-were briefly legalized during shortages of Ozempic, Wegovy and similar drugs. But they were never regulated by the FDA. With the FDA declaring shortages officially over, the $499 deal should “lead to a curb on sometimes counterfeit or ineffective medicines reaching patients,” says Goyal.
Don’t ads say I can get Ozempic or Wegovy for $10?
“Would you rather pay $1,000 a month or $10 a month?” asks 31-pounds-slimmer tennis icon Serena Williams in new ads for the telehealth company Ro, which offers prescriptions for Ozempic, Wegovy and similar medications. Obviously, we’d rather pay $10. But here’s the hitch: To qualify for that rate, you need a manufacturer savings card and (the tricky part) very good commercial insurance.
Experts say $10 a month (or whatever the cost of your copay) is more realistic for people prescribed Ozempic for type 2 diabetes. But those prescribed Wegovy for weight loss often aren’t eligible for this bargain rate-or anything even remotely close.
The health benefits of Ozempic and Wegovy
What many people don’t realize is that Ozempic and Wegovy are actually identical. They’re the brand-name version of the generic medication semaglutide. Ozempic is a brand FDA-approved to treat diabetes while Wegovy is a brand FDA-approved to treat obesity. Similarly, the diabetes drug Mounjaro and obesity drug Zepbound are both the brand-name versions of the generic drug tirzepatide.
Semaglutide and tirzepatide both artificially increase levels of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) by about 900 percent, dramatically improving blood-sugar control and shrinking appetite. Tirzepatide also mimics another blood-sugar hormone called GIP, and studies suggest this makes it more effective for weight loss than semaglutide.
People using semaglutide with lifestyle changes have consistently lost 15 to 17 percent of their body weight in major studies, per a 2022 report in the journal
Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism
. By contrast, “there was a Zepbound trial that led to a 22.5 percent loss of body weight and one on Mounjaro where they got a 26 percent loss,” notes Weill Cornell Medicine obesity expert Louis Aronne, MD, whose research on the drugs has appeared in the
Journal of the American Medical Association
and the
New England Journal of Medicine
.
It’s not just about weight, of course. Both semaglutide and tirzepatide are linked to a host of health benefits ranging from better cholesterol and reduced joint pain to reversal of a fatty liver and a lower risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke. And research like the prestigious
SURMOUNT-1 study
(co-authored by Dr. Aronne) found that up to 99 percent of prediabetics can prevent progression to type 2 diabetes with GLP-1 drugs.
Weight Loss
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Is Ozempic or Wegovy right for you?
Both semaglutide and tirzepatide have similar risk of side effects, which can be serious. That said, GI problems like vomiting, diarrhea and constipation are the most common, occurring about 50 percent of the time. “Initially, if you limit fatty foods, it helps minimize side effects,” notes Dr. Aronne. “And for the vast majority of people, these symptoms subside.” Whether you choose semaglutide or tirzepatide, “weight loss is unprecedented with these medicines.”
Price is the main reason you might want to consider Ozempic or Wegovy. While you can get Mounjaro and Zepbound from the LillyDirect, the manufacturer’s mail-order pharmacy for $499, the deal is only for lower doses and ends if you skip a refill. You also get vials of the medication which you must draw up in syringes yourself. With Ozempic and Wegovy, you can get any dose, you get medication in easy-to-use autoinjector pens and the price stays the same if you need to skip a refill.
Telehealth companies like Noom have also begun offering
“microdosing” programs
of brand-name GLP-1 medications. Lower doses come at a lower price that may still help boost your efforts to eat better and shed excess pounds.
Life
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Lower prices may be on the horizon
If you don’t have room in your budget for any GLP-1 med right now but still want to try them, experts encourage you to hang in there. While change won’t happen overnight, Iyer believes GoodRx’s lower-cost Ozempic and Wegovy options “point to a trend in new affordability pathways-whether that’s through cash programs, copay cards, manufacturer savings or eventually broader insurance coverage.”
The hope is that one day in the not-so-distant future, anyone who needs these life-changing medications will have access to them. In the meantime, you can check out the
Novo Nordisk Patient Assistance program
, where those who qualify may be eligible to receive certain medications such as Ozempic for free. Others may be eligible for up to three months of Ozempic and pay as little as
$25 a month
if it’s covered by commercial insurance.
Natural alternatives to GLP-1 meds:
Is Okra Really ‘Nature’s Ozempic?’ A Doctor Explains the TikTok Trend for Weight Loss
This Sugar Substitute Mimics Ozempic for Weight Loss-Doctors Say It’s the Best One Yet
Nature’s Ozempic? 5 Herbs That Burn Fat and Help You Lose Weight Naturally, Says One Doctor
This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan
.