Posted on 08/18/2025 8:03:17 AM PDT by Red Badger
Key Points
Novo Nordisk said it now offers cash-paying U.S. patients its blockbuster diabetes treatment Ozempic for less than half its monthly list price through multiple platforms.
Patients can pay $499 in cash per month for three dose sizes of Ozempic through the drug’s official website, Novo Nordisk’s patient assistance program, the company’s recently launched direct-to-consumer online pharmacy and drug savings company GoodRx, among other platforms.
It comes after Trump in July sent separate letters to Novo Nordisk and 16 other drugmakers, calling on them to take steps to lower medication prices in the U.S.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
Insurance covers this for those needing it, not for using as a weight loss.
If it wasn’t for Medicare and Medicaid money, all big Pharma would be bankrupt.
It seems to me that the insurance companies would gladly pay for it, at a substantial discount of course, to keep their members healthy and not have to pay for expensive operations, meds and transplants, etc later. Cost savings in the long run..............
Insurance is very expensive to administer and the insurance company must make a profit.
Therefore, I self insure on as many things as possible, where the cost of being wrong is moderate (Dental, Vision, Life (in my case)).
My friend Patrick developed kidney failure after using this. He was miraculously donated a kidney from a living donor.
There are other examples of people injured badly by this.
This drug is either bad news or bad news for some people.
I’ll keep my extra 30 pounds and fight it rather than take a chance with such a dangerous drug.
As a diabetic, who is also overweight, the VA is my medical provider and according to my Dr. the VA will not cover these drugs for my particular case. Not diabetic enough is the reason.
I have lost weight through diet change which was essentially eating nothing but those Power Bowls in the frozen food section...ugh...But I hit a plateau—and I gained most all of it back because I started eating human food sans the obvious like gravy, copious amounts of spaghetti, french fries, breakfast cereal, etc...
I will look into this.
Its not just diet changes. American foodstuffs are made differently thn in other parts of the world. They put more sugar andcorn syrup products into everything, even though in many cases its not enough to outright taste it. Its why people in other places can eat what they eat and not have problems, but if they come here and eat what they always have eaten, they start gaining aeight. I thinkmits in combo with portion sizes may be different here, and in general they may also walk less than they did outside the USA. Trying to get imported foreign made food items for cooking often helps.
Insurance is very expensive to administer and the insurance company must make a profit.
Therefore, I self insure on as many things as possible, where the cost of being wrong is moderate (Dental, Vision, Life (in my case)).
The concept of self insurance is lost on many. They want “free” stuff.
Meanwhile, the lawsuits are starting. Many people have suffered major health problems from taking this drug.
Attorneys are salivating!
“Ozempic Lawsuit – August 2025 Update”
https://www.robertkinglawfirm.com/personal-injury/ozempic-lawsuit/
Ozempic has run it’s course, hence the discounting.
Americans are fat because they have no discipline and lack basic math skills.
Calories in must not exceed calories burnt per day to maintain weights. To lose weight Kcals consumed must be less than burnt via physical activity. This is basic biological fact.
The only thing these drugs do suppress the appetite of a person who is otherwise incapable of controlling it themselves. I have a couple of bar friends who are on it and they used to eat bar food on the regular and wonder why they are fat.
My military vets like myself have discipline. Eat once per day protein heavy carb light with carbs being animal lipids not grains or starches. Work out...WORK OUT cardio and strength every other day. Never sugary drinks or mixers in fact never HFCS its abject poison.
I still fit my issued in my 20s BDUs and can hump a full battle rattle in Texas heat 10 clicks as a GenX aged man. I see men half my age who are lardbodies. LACK OF DISCIPLINE it is that simple.
Yeah, I dropped 30 pounds fast two falls ago. The rapid weight loss gave me gall stones. The ozempic drugs also cause kidney stones because of the rapid weight loss.
I managed to hold onto my gall bladder but I was told by hospital staff that the hospital is packed with people who have had rapid loss that caused gall stones and then had their gall bladder’s removed.
They say you don’t need your gall bladder. You can exist with out it but it has all kind of wierd secondary functions that cause people wierd ailments when they lose their gall bladders.
Sure. You take your chances self insuring. We did for a few months and my wife had to go to the ER where they found she had a urinary tract infection. Cost - $1,925. But for self-paying-with-cash me, it was “only” $1,550.
I always kidded to my doc I wanted Mounjaro and she kept saying you’re not diabetic so now that I am (out of the blue, not that overweight) she prescribed it. My insurance is covering a lot of the cost, but not all. It costs me 255.00 monthly. Am off now as my GFR was low (doc says it’s probably due to dehydration) and I’m getting more tests after this month then we’ll proceed. Lost a lot of weight the first month.
Kidney failure is a commonly caused by diabetes and is commonly prescribed to slow the progression of kidney disease in diabetics. So it may not have been the drug that caused the failure.
Can't make this stuff up! $666 would be a terrible marketing campaign.
Ozempic And Biological Age Reduction
Recent studies indicate that Ozempic, a medication primarily used for diabetes management, may also have significant anti-aging effects.
Key Findings From Recent Trials
Biological Age Reduction: Participants using Ozempic experienced an average reduction in biological age of 3.1 years after a 32-week trial.
Study Details: The trial involved 184 participants with HIV-associated lipohypertrophy, a condition linked to accelerated aging. Half received Ozempic, while the other half received a placebo.
Effects On Body Systems:
The most notable improvements were observed in the brain and inflammatory systems, with some participants showing up to 5 years of biological age reversal in these areas.
Mechanism Of Action
GLP-1 Agonist: Ozempic is a GLP-1 agonist, which helps regulate blood sugar and promotes weight loss. It also reduces inflammation and improves fat distribution, both of which are linked to aging.
Epigenetic Clocks: Researchers used epigenetic clocks to measure biological age, which assesses changes in DNA that occur as we age.
Caution And Future Research
While the results are promising, experts advise caution. The study has not yet undergone peer review, and prescribing Ozempic as an anti-aging treatment is considered premature. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and explore the long-term implications of using Ozempic for age-related issues.
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