Might 3, 2023 – With the blockbuster kind 2 diabetes drug Ozempic as common as ever, folks with diabetes and people wanting to make use of it for weight reduction have been struggling to get their palms on it amid widespread shortages. There are over 4 million sufferers prescribed Ozempic worldwide, based on producer Novo Nordisk’s web site. People are being prescribed the drug at a unprecedented tempo and make up reportedly round 10% of world prescriptions. 

Along with provide points, the value of Ozempic is also a significant hurdle. Some People have even tried flocking to Canada to attempt to get the drug at a reduced value. Canada sells Ozempic at a whopping $700 lower than within the U.S, the place it might value greater than $1,000 a month. The British Columbia Ministry of Well being launched a report saying 1000’s of U.S. residents have been filling their Ozempic prescriptions in its area. Out of all doses distributed in British Columbia, 15% (15,798 doses) have been bought to People in January and February.

So precisely how a lot money will it’s a must to shell for the so-called miracle drug? Maintain studying for extra info. 

How A lot Does Ozempic Price?

Rather a lot – to place it merely. A field or one pen, which might final you 30 days, can value practically $1,200 ($1,122.92), relying in your pharmacy, stated Walter Oronsaye, PharmD, a Houston-based pharmacist who creates on-line content material with details about pharmaceuticals, together with drug shortages. 

However should you’re one of many fortunate ones whose insurance coverage covers the drug, it may be less expensive. The truth is, the distinction may very well be “a whole bunch, if not 1000’s, of {dollars} per 30 days for 2 totally different sufferers every with the identical prescription,” stated Mark Decerbo, PharmD, a Las Vegas-based pharmacist.

Carol Sortore, 44, says she pays solely $25 per 30 days for her Ozempic prescription. She has pre-diabetes, and her insurance coverage occurs to cowl the drug value. With out insurance coverage, her out-of-pocket value would have been $1,200, stated Sortore, an info safety analyst primarily based in Kansas Metropolis. 

Issues are totally different for Annie Brown, 33, whose pharmacy fees her $1,000 per 30 days, since her insurance coverage doesn’t cowl her prescription.

Learn how to Get It For Much less

Getting Ozempic at a reduced fee is dependent upon numerous issues. Folks with personal insurance coverage will finally get Ozempic at a less expensive value. This may very well be as little as $25 for a month for a 1-, 2-, or 3-month provide, Oronsaye stated.

If paying out of pocket, you would possibly be capable to get it cheaper in case your pharmacy takes low cost playing cards, such as GoodRx. With this feature, you may save a number of hundred {dollars}. For instance, you may pay round $850 to $900 with these playing cards vs. paying the complete $1,200 out-of-pocket value, Oronsaye stated. Along with her GoodRx low cost, Brown pays $500 for Ozempic vs. the $1,000 out-of-pocket value. 

You probably have personal insurance coverage, you’ll be able to textual content “BEGIN” to 21848 to obtain an Ozempic Financial savings Card from the drugmaker, based on Decerbo. “You see [patients] pay as little as $25 per 30 days copay for the remedy, with a most financial savings of as much as $150 for a 1-month prescription, $300 for a 2-month prescription, and $450 for a 3-month prescription as much as a complete of two years.”

How Do You Get a Prescription?

First, you need to schedule an in-person appointment along with your physician to see if Ozempic may be best for you. However there are different choices to get the drug shipped straight to your property – no in-person appointment essential, Decerbo stated.

“Within the present post-COVID period, newer distinctive fashions to acquire prescriptions have developed,” he stated. “Many suppliers, together with nurse practitioners, have now embraced telemedicine, the place an affected person could be evaluated on-line for appropriateness of Ozempic, with an digital prescription for the remedy, then despatched to the affected person’s pharmacy.”

Bear in mind: Your insurance coverage firm would possibly refuse to cowl the drug should you take Ozempic for weight reduction functions solely, if you do not have diabetes. 



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