Key takeaways
Wegovy is a medication prescribed to adults with obesity or who are overweight with one or more weight-related chronic conditions. It can also be prescribed to lower the risk of heart-related death, heart attack, and stroke in adults who have heart disease and are overweight or have obesity.
Without insurance or discounts, Wegovy can cost more than $1,200 a month.
If you’re eligible for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy savings card program, you could get a 28-day supply or one box of Wegovy for $25.
Wegovy is an injectable prescription medicine for weight loss. It contains the active ingredient semaglutide and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2021 for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or who are overweight with one or more weight-related conditions, such as high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes. In March of 2024, the FDA approved an additional indication for Wegovy. The new indication is to lower the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke in adults with heart disease and either obesity or overweight. Regardless of indication, Wegovy is recommended to be used along with diet and exercise.
Wegovy is a brand-name drug with the active ingredient semaglutide. Sarah Bonza, MD, the founder of Bonza Health and hospitalist physician at Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster, Ohio, explains, “It’s a subcutaneous injectable medication that is classified as a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist.” Wegovy and similar GLP-1 medicines work by delaying gastric or stomach emptying.
Wegovy can be expensive without any insurance coverage or discounts, but there are various ways to save, and you may be able to get it for $25 a month.
How much does Wegovy cost?
The typical cash price for Wegovy is $1,838 for four 4, 0.75 ml pens, which is a month’s supply. You’ll likely pay less if you have health insurance with a prescription drug plan that covers Wegovy. There are also ways to reduce your drug copay with coupons and savings programs.
How do you get Wegovy for $25 a month?
Novo Nordisk has a savings offer where you can pay as little as $0 for a 28-day supply of Wegovy for up to 13 fills. After your 13th month, you may pay as little as $25 per 28-day supply or one box of Wegovy injectable medication. Once the discount card offer expires, you can request a renewal if you still meet eligibility criteria.
If you’re eligible for the savings card, the manufacturer allows you to enroll in free WeGoTogether support. WeGoTogether is personalized support to help people lose weight and keep it off. This online resource gives you free access to a health coach, a portal to track your progress, and more.
Eligibility criteria for the Wegovy $25 coupon
To obtain the $25 savings card for Wegovy, you cannot be enrolled in a federal or state health care program with prescription drug coverage, including Medicaid, Medicare, Medigap, Tricare, and VA programs.
In addition, you cannot receive this benefit if a commercial insurance plan or other health or pharmacy benefit programs can reimburse you for the entire cost of Wegovy treatment.
To receive this offer, you must provide a valid prescription for Wegovy, including the prescriber identification number. This offer is only valid in the United States and its territories and is not transferable.
Please note that the eligibility requirements for the Wegovy discount savings card can change at any time.
How to apply for $25 Wegovy
You must complete a few steps before receiving the $25 Wegovy offer from Novo Nordisk.
First, you’ll answer a few questions in an online application to ensure you meet the eligibility requirements for the discount card, such as any enrollment in federal or state programs, previous Wegovy prescriptions, and basic personal information.
If approved, you’ll receive a copy of the Wegovy savings card, which you can save on your phone or print out. You’ll show the discount card to your participating pharmacy to receive the discount. If you have any questions about the application, call the Wegovy Navigation Line at 833-4-Wegovy.
Other ways to get affordable Wegovy
The SingleCare prescription discount card is another way to save money on Wegovy. You can download the SingleCare app to access the digital card or print it out to show your pharmacist and receive your discount at participating pharmacies. With a SingleCare Wegovy coupon, you can save up to $600 on four, 0.75 ml Wegovy pens, a month’s supply—that’s over $7,000 savings per year.
Insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid coverage of Wegovy
“If you have commercial or private insurance, they might cover up to 100% of the total cost of the Wegovy,” Dr. Bonza says.
Because Wegovy is for weight loss, Medicare may not cover it. “Medicare does not cover anti-obesity medications, as weight loss is considered cosmetic by the United States government,” says Angela Fitch, MD, the chief medical officer at Knownwell and the President of the Obesity Medicine Association based in Needham, Massachusetts. Fitch hopes Medicare coverage of Wegovy will change, however, since drugs like Wegovy “aren’t just about losing weight but also about improving health.” If the reintroduced Reduce and Treat Obesity Act is passed, it would allow coverage under Medicare’s prescription drug benefit when used as a treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for individuals who are overweight.
On March 8, 2024, the FDA approved a new indication for the use of Wegovy: to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke in adults with cardiovascular disease and either obesity or overweight in addition to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. This new indication could expand Medicare Part D coverage for Wegovy for those who qualify.
Regarding Medicaid, states can decide whether or not they’ll cover the obesity drug. While the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program requires all Medicaid programs to cover most FDA-approved drugs for medically accepted indications, Wegovy falls into a group of prescription drugs that can be excluded from Medicaid coverage.
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Sources
- FDA approves new drug treatment for chronic weight management, first since 2014, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2021)
- Wegovy (semaglutide): A new weight loss drug for chronic weight management, Journal of Investigative Medicine (2022)
- Save on Wegovy, Wegovy
- H.R.4818 – Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2023, Congress.gov (2023)
- FDA approves first treatment to reduce risk of serious heart problems specifically in adults with obesity or overweight, Food and Drug Administration (2024)
- Medicaid utilization and spending on new drugs used for weight loss, KFF (2023)
- Medicaid drug rebate program (MDRP), Medicaid.gov (2024)