WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Novo Nordisk (NVO) CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen has
agreed to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Committee, chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders, to defend the high prices of
weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic.

'I enjoyed the opportunity of chatting with Mr. Jorgensen this afternoon and
thank him for agreeing to voluntarily testify on a solo panel before the HELP
Committee on the high cost of Ozempic and Wegovy in the United States,' Sanders
said in a statement. 'The scheduled subpoena vote is no longer necessary and
will be cancelled.'

Earlier, Sanders was about to hold a vote to subpeona Doug Langa, the executive
vice president of North America operations for Novo Nordisk, to testify to the
Committee. However, Jorgensen will now face the hearing in September.

Confirming the news, the drugmaker said, 'As part of Novo Nordisk's continued
efforts to cooperate with the Chairman, our CEO reaffirmed our position. He and
Chairman Sanders had a productive call and agreed to find a mutually acceptable
date for a hearing. We look forward to discussing solutions that ensure access
and affordability for all patients within the complex U.S. healthcare system'.

The Senate hearing is a part of Sanders's investigation regarding why the prices
of the company's weight-loss drugs are higher in the U.S. compared to other
countries.

A Wegovy prescription costs around $1,349 per month in the U.S., whereas the
same costs $140 in Germany and $92 in the U.K., according to Fortune.

'The American people are sick and tired of being ripped off by giant
pharmaceutical companies who make huge profits every year while charging us
outrageous prices,' Sanders stated last week.

'The Committee looks forward to Mr. Jorgensen explaining why Americans are
paying up to ten or 15 times more for these medications than people in other
countries,' Sanders added.

While responding to a letter by Sanders in May regarding costs, the drug maker
argued that the U.S. health care system was the reason behind the high prices as
a substantial part of its revenue goes to middlemen in the U.S. compared to
Europe, Bloomberg reports.



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