The FDA just made Ozempic even more expensive — here’s how



While Americans struggle to afford life-changing medications, the Food and Drug Administration has effectively forced U.S. patients to subsidize Denmark’s booming economy. The agency’s recent declaration that the semaglutide shortage is “over” represents a staggering policy failure that benefits foreign pharmaceutical giants at the expense of American patients and health care innovation. Semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, is the key ingredient in weight loss and diabetes medications that are reducing obesity nationwide.

The numbers tell the story: Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical giant behind Ozempic and Wegovy, became the largest company in Europe at the end of 2023 after demand for Ozempic skyrocketed. This meteoric rise has transformed not just the company but an entire nation. Novo Nordisk was responsible for more than half of Denmark’s private sector job growth, which now boasts one of Europe’s fastest-growing economies. Pharmaceutical exports are driving half of the country’s 2.5% GDP growth in 2023, with anticipated growth of 3% in 2024 and 2.9% this year.

Americans pay the highest prices in the world for medications that fuel another nation's economic boom.

The tiny Danish port town of Kalundborg, home to fewer than 17,000 residents, has become an unlikely boomtown. Novo Nordisk is investing an eye-watering $8.6 billion in expanding its facilities there. While Danes enjoy lower interest rates, expanded public amenities, and a robust job market thanks to the influx of American dollars, Americans face impossible choices about whether they can afford medication at all.

Americans foot the bill

Novo Nordisk relies heavily on the American market, with more than half of its sales coming from the United States. This dominance helped sustain Denmark’s economy, preventing a recession.

The company's dependence on U.S. consumers is reflected in its steep pricing. Ozempic costs $900 per month, while Wegovy is priced at $1,300 — a prohibitive expense for many Americans. For a time, an affordable alternative existed. When the federal government declared a semaglutide shortage, compounding pharmacies were allowed to produce lower-cost versions, offering them for hundreds of dollars less than the brand-name drugs.

That changed in February. Holdovers from the Biden administration declared the shortage over and set a deadline for compounding pharmacies to stop selling semaglutide alternatives. This move effectively drove the drug’s cost from under $200 back to more than $1,000.

The FDA’s blunder

The FDA's decision carries devastating consequences for Americans who depend on these medications. Rural and underserved communities, which often relied on telehealth and compounding pharmacies when brand-name options were unavailable or inaccessible, will be disproportionately affected. Countless patients will be forced to abandon treatment due to cost barriers, leading to worsening health conditions and higher long-term health care costs.

The FDA's decision represents a profound failure of regulatory policy. Rather than protecting American interests, it has sacrificed affordable access to critical medications to boost a foreign pharmaceutical giant’s profits and another country’s economic growth.

A better approach would balance legitimate safety concerns with the need for market competition to control prices. The FDA should immediately reassess its shortage determination and restore the ability of American compounding pharmacies to produce affordable alternatives. Insurance reforms should expand coverage for these medications, and policies need to ensure Americans aren't paying premium prices that subsidize European health care systems.

Putting American patients first

Regulatory agencies must prioritize the health and financial well-being of American patients over the economic interests of foreign corporations and governments. Americans already pay the highest drug prices in the world, and their money should not be fueling another nation's economic growth.

Policymakers must take action. Americans deserve access to affordable, life-changing medications without being forced to bankroll Denmark’s economic success. The FDA’s decision on semaglutide is more than bad health care policy — it is a failure to protect American consumers in favor of subsidizing foreign prosperity.

EXCLUSIVE: Jillian Michaels on why you should NEVER take Ozempic



They’re expensive, cause an array of side effects, and eventually stop working.

And yet Ozempic and other GLP1 drugs are more popular than ever — touted by celebrities and prescribed to millions of Americans convinced they’ve found their last, best chance of losing weight.

To those not willing to risk their mental health and quality of life for fleeting victory in their struggle with the scale, Michaels has a message of hope: 'Weight loss is simple.'

Nonsense, claims fitness and nutrition influencer Jillian Michaels.

'Zero weight loss'

In an email to Align, Michaels explained why the powerful peptides, which were originally prescribed for Type 2 diabetes and other diseases, are not the best pound-shedding solution for most people.

“The bottom line — they are extremely expensive. You plateau on them. The side effects are scary and the risk of experiencing the more serious ones increases over time,” says Michaels.

The good news? “There is a natural alternative.”

Michaels’ observations about GLP1 drugs reflect the experience of many who have failed to see any progress on the medication. One such user recently called in to the "Mind Pump" fitness podcast: “I’d been on semaglutide [Ozempic] for about six months and saw zero weight loss ... it was very, very frustrating.”

He had slightly more success after switching to a different GLP1 drug, the caller said, but he was still worried about the long-term: “My big question here is, what do you do when they don’t work, and what do you do when they stop working?”

Short-term fix

According to Michaels, his case is far from unique. Citing a survey from one of the country's biggest pharmacy benefit managers, Prime Therapeutics, Michaels noted that “66% of the people put on GLP1 drugs come off them within the first year citing cost, plateau, and side effects. And the risk for more serious side effects actually compounds over time.”

Yet, people remain desperate for these “miracle” drugs, even opting for unvetted knockoffs from online pharmacies. Late last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seized thousands of GLP1 products thought to be counterfeit, according to the New York Post.

Many consumers endanger themselves for what they believe offers their one shot at achieving a healthy weight. “That is simply just not true,” says Michaels, pointing to her record of helping thousands achieve these results with natural solutions.

Depression danger

While Michaels admits her way is not the easiest way, she does consider it the safest, scoffing at drugmakers’ claims that the long-term use of their products carries very little risk.

“I don’t even know how they arrive at that conclusion,” says Michaels. “The side effects are on the box because they are very legitimate.”

Those side effects include nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, stomach upset, and in more serious cases, pancreatitis or kidney failure. The drug has also been linked to over 100 deaths, according to the Daily Mail.

What’s even scarier? The thousands of cases reporting these adverse effects may just be the tip of the iceberg. “The FDA estimates that its Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) only receives reports for 1–10% of adverse drug events,” says Michaels. The actual number of users experiencing harmful side effects could be tens of thousands more.

Michaels added that people are also more likely to be prescribed an antidepressant after starting a GLP1. This may have something to do with how the drug interacts with the brain’s “pleasure center.”

It’s hypothesized that these drugs impact dopamine release, making substances like food or drugs lose their appeal, continued Michaels. This benefits a person with addiction, Michaels says, but others open the door to depression, malaise, and lack of sex drive due to the same mechanism.

In short, Michaels believes these drugs are only right for a small minority of people such as the morbidly obese with a host of comorbidities or those battling addiction.

“For everyone else, these should NEVER be an option,” says Michaels.

A simpler way

To those not willing to risk their mental health and quality of life for fleeting victory in their struggle with the scale, Michaels has a message of hope: “Weight loss is simple.”

It all comes down to moving more and eating less. “Calories are units of energy. Energy that doesn’t get utilized from calorie intake gets stored as fat,” says Michaels.

In place of paying for Ozempic, Michaels recommends people spend money on goods and services that will encourage moving more and eating less: counseling, healthy food, and membership in a gym or other fitness community.

“Supporting yourself in all the ways possible inside and out goes a long way,” says Michaels.

Those who ditch Ozempic in favor of Michaels’ advice may find themselves experiencing a whole new range of positive “side effects,” including improved mental health, better sleep, and reduced chronic disease, according to a Mind Pump Media article.

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