Novo Nordisk cuts Ozempic cash price to $499 a month for self-paying patients

Novo Nordisk lowered the cash price of Ozempic (semaglutide) to $499 a month for patients who pay without insurance, according to a company announcement dated August 18, 2025 ^[1].

Ozempic is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog that Novo Nordisk first won FDA approval for on December 5, 2017 ^[1]. It is approved to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes, to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease, and to reduce the risk of worsening kidney disease and cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease ^[1]. The injection is given once a week, at any time of day, with or without meals ^[1].

The drug carries a boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumors ^[1]. Among patients treated with the injection, the most common side effects reported in at least 5 percent of people were nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and constipation ^[1].

At $499 a month, a year at the self-pay price would come to about $5,988.

What has not been reported

The announcement does not spell out several details that affect what a patient would actually pay. Ozempic injection pens come in three strengths, delivering 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg per injection, and it has not been disclosed whether the $499 price covers all of them ^[1].

Semaglutide is also sold under other brand names. Wegovy, approved June 4, 2021, is the same molecule approved for weight reduction in obesity and overweight, and Rybelsus, approved September 20, 2019, is a tablet form approved for type 2 diabetes ^[1]. Whether the $499 self-pay price applies to either of those products has not been disclosed.

Also not yet known: how the $499 figure compares with Ozempic's list price or with what insured patients pay, how long the price will stay in place, and whether every pharmacy will offer it. None of those points appear in the announcement ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

A published cash price matters most to people who have no insurance or whose plan does not cover GLP-1 medicines, because it gives them a stated monthly number to plan around. Type 2 diabetes treatment is generally long term, so a monthly price adds up over a year rather than being a one-time cost.

The $499 is a self-pay price, not a copay and not a guarantee. A patient with insurance could pay more or less than that depending on their plan's deductible, formulary and pharmacy. Because the announcement does not list which pen strengths are included, patients comparing costs would need to confirm the price for their specific prescription at their pharmacy.

The broader picture is that semaglutide now exists as a weekly injection and as tablets under three brand names, with different approved uses ^[1]. A lower cash price for one of those products does not automatically change the price or coverage of the others.