07:27 AM EDT, 03/28/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with a statement from Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) in the third and fourth paragraphs.)

Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) is facing calls by Sen. Bernie Sanders, chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, to lower the list price of its diabetes and weight-loss medication Ozempic.

In a Wednesday statement, Sanders cited a recent study at Yale University that found that the drug costs less than $5 a month to manufacture. Sanders also said US patients are charged almost $1,000 per month for the drug, compared to $155 per month in Canada and $59 for patients in Germany.

"Congress has been focused on the complexities of the US healthcare system and the interplay of rebates, discounts, administrative fees, co-pays and deductibles - which all play a role in creating a situation where a majority of US patients covered by commercial health plans pay as little as $25 a month for their prescriptions," a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) told MT Newswires.

Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) added that it continues to "support changes in policy to improve patient affordability and access for those living with chronic diseases."

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