03:22 PM EDT, 08/05/2024 (MT Newswires) -- A consumer advocacy group has called on the Biden administration to allow generic versions of Novo Nordisk's ( NVO ) popular weight loss drugs to enter the market.

In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services on Monday, the advocacy group Public Citizen said Novo Nordisk's ( NVO ) Wegovy and Ozempic could "break" federal coffers due to their "outrageous pricing."

Instead, the group called on HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra to use a federal provision to authorize generic competitors for the drugs on behalf of the government.

The group drew parallels between Ozempic and Wegovy's list price in the US and those in Canada, Germany, and the UK, where the medicines are available for cheaper, and said the "pricing of these drugs in the US has imposed widespread cost barriers to patients and colossal financial burdens on public programs."

Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) and the HHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment from MT Newswires.

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