12:56 PM EDT, 05/13/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) response in the fourth and fifth paragraphs, and stock movement in the final paragraph.)

Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) , based in Denmark, has been asked by Bernie Sanders of Vermont to reduce the prices of its Ozempic and Wegovy drugs in the US, multiple media outlets reported Monday, citing a column published by the US senator in Danish newspaper Politiken.

Ozempic costs 6,700 Danish kroner ($969.6) per month in the US, while it is sold for less than 500 kroner in other countries, Sanders wrote in the column for Politiken.

Sanders urged Denmark's government to put pressure on Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) to lower the prices of the two drugs, the outlets reported, citing the column.

Several factors, including the patient's location, the number of middlemen involved, and the patent system, impact medicines' availability and prices, a Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) spokesperson told MT Newswires in an emailed response.

"Each country has its own healthcare system. Making isolated and limited comparisons ignores the complex differences in each," the spokesperson said. "We are committed to working with policymakers within the complex U.S. healthcare system to deliver meaningful solutions."

The senator's office did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' requests for comment.

Shares of the company were up more than 3% in recent Monday trading.

Price: 132.58, Change: +4.16, Percent Change: +3.24