Ozempic maker wants taxpayer subsidy for new Wegovy drug

Danish drug giant Novo Nordisk wants taxpayers to subsidise access to its blockbuster weight loss medication Wegovy after generating $605 million in revenue from Australia last year.

The company will soon make its third attempt at persuading the government to list Wegovy, a version of Ozempic designed for weight loss, on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. That would drop the price of a dose from $460 to $31.60 for patients, with the government covering the rest of the drug’s cost.