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Ozempic, the popular diabetes drug widely used for weight loss, was among the 15 prescription drugs selected for Medicare price negotiations announced by President Joe Biden's administration on Friday (January 17), NBC News reports.
The list serves as the first step in negotiation process between Medicare and pharmaceutical companies expected to take place during the coming months, however, new negotiated prices won't be effective until 2027. The current list of 15 drugs up for negotiations, which is up from 10 in 2024, includes the following:
- Ozempic; Rybelsus; Wegovy
- Trelegy Ellipta
- Xtandi
- Pomalyst
- Ibrance
- Ofev
- Linzess
- Calquence
- Austedo; Austedo XR
- Breo Ellipta
- Tradjenta
- Xifaxan
- Vraylar
- Janumet; Janumet XR
- Otezla
Juliette Cubanski, director of the Medicare policy program at the nonprofit health policy issue research group KFF, said the sakes to get a good deal done this year were high as a survey conducted by the group showed that more than half of the public viewed expanding the number of prescription drugs subject to negotiations as a "top priority." The survey showed that nearly half of Republican respondents also viewed the expanded number as a "top priority" as President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration has remained silent on whether it supports the government program.
Ozempic and similar drugs have seen a high demand and high prices, though Medicare is currently barred from covering weight loss drugs as it instead focuses on other FDA-approved uses such as heart disease risk.
“Driving a hard bargain at the negotiating table could potentially save Medicare billions of dollars in the coming years,” Cubanski said via NBC News.
An estimated 5.3 million patients on Medicare used the drugs between November 1, 2023, and October 1, 2024, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
