The Daily Populous Saturday October 4th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by nbcnews.com and submitted by Kinjal_Ghosh

Ozempic and Wegovy are coming to a Costco near you.

Novo Nordisk, the company that makes Ozempic and Wegovy, announced Friday it will be selling the prescription injectable pens at the warehouse chain's pharmacies. A four-week supply of the weight loss drug will cost $499 out of pocket.

Novo Nordisk already sells the monthly supply for $499 at its direct-to-consumer website, and it offers the same discount through CVS and Walmart.

Novo Nordisk and other manufacturers of the hugely popular weight loss drugs have been competing against compounding pharmacies, some clinics and medical spas who sell cheaper versions of the branded medications.

“We want to make sure we offer the real, authentic Wegovy and Ozempic where patients seek care,” David Moore, president of Novo Nordisk U.S., told NBC News. “We know that Costco is a trusted brand.”

Costco members with a prescription will pay $499 for a one-month supply. Executive members and those with Costco Citibank credit cards also get a cash back reward as part of the chain’s prescription program.

For members who have insurance, the price will depend on their plan.

The discounted prescriptions will be available at over 600 Costco pharmacies nationwide starting Friday.

Recent research on the drugs has shown their potential to reduce stroke risk, treat liver disease and protect heart health.

Dr. Rekha Kumar, an endocrinologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and senior medical adviser at Found Health, said the drugs have been a big breakthrough in the treatment of diabetes, but they’re still out of reach for many people who are uninsured, or whose insurance won’t cover the prescriptions.

“This will definitely improve one of the issues with access, meaning that there is another place that people can get the medicine that you know isn’t their retail pharmacy, isn’t an online telehealth pharmacy, but a large store that many people in the United States go to,” she said, even if it will not “solve the issues of insurance coverage and cost.”

In 2024, 13 states cover GLP-1 drugs for obesity treatment, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research group. Around 1 in 8 adults say they have used a GLP-1 agonist.

“Those patients that have coverage will receive the medicine on average for $25 a month,” Novo Nordisk’s Moore said. “But that doesn’t cover everyone, so we wanted to make sure there’s a self-pay option available as well.”

Around 1 in 5 people with private insurance don’t have coverage for at least one brand-name GLP-1 medication prescribed for weight loss, according to GoodRX.

Dr. Harlan Krumholz, cardiologist and professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine said that he’s happy to see greater accessibility for the medications, but they won’t reach the people that need them the most if they can’t pay $499 a month.

“The people who have the greatest need for these medications are precisely the people who are in lower socioeconomic strata who have either poor insurance or no insurance, and don’t have the discretionary funds to be spending on medications,” he said.

“If we really want to make the biggest difference on the health of the nation, we have to make sure that the people who would benefit the most have access to medications that are being shown to be beneficial.”

CLARIFICATION (Oct. 3, 2025, p.m. ET): This article has been updated to clarify that executive members and Costco Citibank credit card holders are also eligible for a cash back reward, not a 2% discount, when purchasing weight loss drugs.

rerdioherd on October 4th, 2025 at 11:46 UTC »

"Without insurance" isn't very accurate, "without coverage" is better. Many insurances don't cover Wegovy (the weight loss drug), and these users can get it for $499. More insurances cover Ozempic, the diabetes drug.

CreamyIvy on October 4th, 2025 at 09:19 UTC »

Mmm, Costco poutine with a side of Ozempic.

SsooooOriginal on October 4th, 2025 at 09:10 UTC »

66% off would still be like $500 a month, which some people were still paying.