The chief executive of the drugmaker Novo Nordisk, Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, is scheduled to face tough questions Tuesday on Capitol Hill about the high costs of the company’s widely popular weight-loss drugs.

Jørgensen will appear before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions during a livestreamed hearing Tuesday starting at 10 a.m. ET.

The head of the committee, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has been vocal about his frustrations over how much Novo Nordisk charges Americans for both Ozempic (used to treat type 2 diabetes) and Wegovy (approved for weight loss).

In general, we pay by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. Same exact medicine sold in Canada, Europe is a fraction of what it is in the United States,” Sanders said in an interview Monday. “The result of that is that hundreds of thousands of people in this country who desperately need this product will not be able to afford it.”

  • Tenthrow@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    It dives me crazy that influencers and instagram wannabes have declared Ozempic a weight loss drug. As a diabetic, Ozempic has been the most effective glucose controlling medication I have ever taken. It drives me crazy that people see it as an easy weight loss medication. I couldn’t get it for months because of this insanity.

    Also FUCK pharmaceutical companies for this predatory pricing shit and fuck our government for allowing this to happen.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Start voting progressive and pushing for them to take their rightful place at the head of the DNC then

      Moderates refuse to admit healthcare needs fixing, Republicans say it needs fixed but can’t even give the concept of a plan to fix it.

      The only option that will actually try to fix this. Is progressives, and they can’t really do shit while party leadership is in the pockets of the American Healthcare industry.

      Dont forget 80+ years ago republicans and “moderate” Dems stopped FDR from getting us universal healthcare, and theyve shown no indications they’ve changed their mind about it.

      If you want things to change, we need to change the type of Dems running the party.

    • MrQuallzin@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Technically speaking, Ozempic is a weight-loss drug. Both are semaglutide, with slight variations on dosing. It’s not FDA approved as a weight loss drug, but can be used off-label for it.

      I whole heartedly agree about influencers peddling them as miracle prescriptions. It just takes more away from the already limited stock.

      • flicker@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Ozempic and Wegovy are identical chemicals. Ozempic is the name it goes by for treatment of type 2 diabetes, Wegovy is the name it goes by for weight loss.

  • snekerpimp@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Trying not to be an ass, but of ALLLLLL the expensive prescription drugs out there, are weight loss drugs really where we need to be focusing our efforts on?

      • snekerpimp@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        An epidemic that is brought on by our lack of self-control and corporations’ greed for money, not genetics or disease

        • snooggums@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Greed is first, as the greed is why food labeling isn’t as clear as other countries because that would get in the way of profits. Then add in massive portions to get people in restaurant seats, rampant poverty due to policies that make food choice unaffordable for many, and the cultural glorification of excess and it becomes a less about self control and more about how hard it is to fight the cultural pressures that lead to obesity.

          • snekerpimp@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Agreed, and making a drug whose side effects are being touted more than the condition it was designed for won’t make it any better.

    • Bassman27@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. I’ve seen this being peddled on social media and if you’re exploring these avenues simply to lose weight you’re lazy and should just exercise more / control your diet.

      • Alk@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        You can say that as much as you want, but it won’t stop the obesity epidemic. “Just put in the work” won’t save millions from heart disease due to poor diet. Of course everyone could just start eating better. But clearly that hasn’t and will not work, so anything that can be used to help people be healthier and save lives, should be.

        • snekerpimp@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          A sugar tax would help. Anything to force food producers to stop loading their food with sugar, fat and salt. Not making a drug cheaper.

          • gdog05@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            The sugar issue took decades to get us here and will take decades to get us out. It’s not an overnight cause and effect. Meanwhile, my doctor thinks ozempic should be in the drinking water (tongue in cheek of course) because of the good it would do to society with immediate results.

            • snekerpimp@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              I don’t know what to say to that. It’s like futurama’s solution to climate change. We know the problem, but it would be too hard and take too long to fix it, so let’s just do this short term solution and let the next few generations figure it out? Screw what effects it might cause to millions that might be allergic, or to millions who it does not work on. This shouldn’t be a stopgap to fixing issues.

      • gdog05@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        you’re lazy and should just exercise more / control your diet.

      • alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml
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        2 months ago

        if you’re exploring these avenues simply to lose weight you’re lazy

        Fuck off. I guarantee you that every single person considering medication to control weight has tried exercise and diet.

        • snekerpimp@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Bull shit, I know people that are not clinically obese fighting with their insurers to get this covered. If you think the main purchaser is someone who needs it, I wish I was as naïve as you.