Cost of Wegovy to prevent one stroke in the US is double what’s paid by Britain’s health service

Cost of Wegovy to prevent one stroke in the US is double what’s paid by Britain’s health service

New analysis from Airfinity reveals Novo Nordisk’s weightloss drug Wegovy costs $1.3m in the US to prevent one stroke, heart attack or cardiovascular death, in the United Kingdom it costs the national health service $620k.

The obesity shot has been proven to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) by 20%. The cost to achieve this risk reduction depends on the drug’s price, which is higher in the United States than in any other country.

The price of Wegovy varies in different countries, today Airifinity has published its cost effectiveness analysis comparing the drugs’ price in the US, Denmark, Germany and the UK, where drug prices are publicly available.

It reveals the US is paying more than double what the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is spending to achieve the same health benefits. On the private market in the UK, where the price tag is higher, the cost to prevent one MACE is $948k, significantly more than the NHS’s cost of $620k. In Denmark and Germany the cost is at least 25% lower than the US, with the cost to prevent one MACE totalling $936k and $897k respectively.

Novo Nordisk’s CEO Lars Jorgensen is due to testify at a US Senate Committee Hearing on the drug’s price next week. The list price for Wegovy is $1,349 a month in the US, compared to £175.80 ($232) in the UK.

Airfinity’s Head of Cardio Bhaskar Bushan says, “Health services and insurers need to know, not only if a treatment is effective for patients, but if it’s cost effective as well. This analysis suggests that Wegovy is fairly expensive in preventing heart attacks and strokes, compared to other available treatments.

“Newer clinical data shows that Wegovy is likely to have additional benefits on reducing kidney disease, improving heart failure outcomes, and potentially preventing cognitive decline. When enough data is available, future cost effectiveness analysis may be greater when it factors in other potential health benefits. Today, insurers and health systems could improve cost effectiveness of the drug by targeting access to only the highest risk patients”.

Today’s analysis follows a previous estimate Airfinity published last year, estimating the cost of preventing one MACE to be $1.3m, following the publication of full clinical data from the SELECT cardiovascular outcomes trial.

ENDS

Notes: *US price is based on an estimated 65% rebate discount on the list price. *The UK NHS price doesn't include confidential discounts.