01:59 PM EDT, 09/24/2024 (MT Newswires) -- UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) , CVS Health ( CVS ) , and Cigna ( CI ) have committed to expanding coverage of Novo Nordisk's ( NVO ) weight-loss medicines even if the drugmaker lowered its list prices, Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, said Tuesday during a congressional hearing.

"I have received commitments in writing from all of the major [pharmacy benefit managers] that if Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) substantially reduced the list price for Ozempic and Wegovy, they would not limit coverage," Sanders said at the outset of a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on the pricing of Novo Nordisk's ( NVO ) drugs. "In fact, all of them told me they would be able to expand coverage for these drugs if the list price was reduced."

The lawmaker drew parallels between Ozempic and Wegovy's list prices in the US and in other countries, including Canada, Germany, and the UK, during the hearing with the company's chief executive Lars Jorgensen.

In prepared remarks, Jorgensen said Ozempic's net price had declined by 40% in the US since its launch in 2018. The net price of Wegovy has also similarly declined since its launch, Jorgensen said, adding the company expected the net price for both medicines to continue falling under "current market conditions."

UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ), CVS Health ( CVS ), and Cigna ( CI ) did not immediately respond to requests for comment from MT Newswires.

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