Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on health: what the evidence says · JRE #2461
SUBJECT: HEALTH
The short answer
Kennedy claims Ozempic's US list price is $1,350 versus $88 for the identical drug at a London pharmacy. Kennedy attributes to Ozempic a US-versus-UK price comparison (roughly $1,300+ in the US versus roughly $88-92 in the UK) that, per NPR's coverage of September 2024 Senate testimony from Novo Nordisk's CEO, was reported as Wegovy's pricing, not Ozempic's.
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
Ozempic, the list price was $1,350 in America. You could buy the same drug in any pharmacy in London for $88. And it's made in the same factory in New Jersey.
What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
Kennedy attributes to Ozempic a US-versus-UK price comparison (roughly $1,300+ in the US versus roughly $88-92 in the UK) that, per NPR's coverage of September 2024 Senate testimony from Novo Nordisk's CEO, was reported as Wegovy's pricing, not Ozempic's. NPR's report has Senator Sanders opening the hearing by citing Wegovy at $92/month in the UK versus more than $1,300 in the US, the same figures Kennedy applies to Ozempic. Ozempic and Wegovy are both Novo Nordisk semaglutide products but are dosed and priced differently, so applying one drug's figures to the other overstates the precision of the comparison. The broader point that US list prices for this drug class run far higher than in other wealthy countries is directionally consistent with the source, but the specific $1,350-versus-$88 figures as stated for Ozempic are not supported by the cited source.