Days after hitting the market, the new pill version of Novo Nordisk’s wildly popular weight-loss drug will be available through Amazon’s online pharmacy.
Amazon joins telehealth providers, discount prescription stalwart GoodRx, and even Novo Nordisk itself in providing the novel weight-management drug for consumers who want to pay out of pocket.
With the introduction of the oral version of Wegovy, the weight-loss drugs that have taken the world by storm will become even more accessible—and more readily available for anyone who can pay out of pocket.
The oral version of Wegovy will start at $149 a month out of pocket through Amazon Pharmacy, and will cost $25 a month with eligible insurance coverage. The 1.5-milligram and 4-milligram “starter” doses of Wegovy are priced at $149 per month, with the higher doses that many people move up to priced around $299.
“We know there are people who are interested in addressing their weight but have been waiting on the sidelines for a medicine that was right for them,” Novo Nordisk marketing and patient solutions SVP Ed Cinca said in a press release. “For many of them, that wait is over.”
Rivals race to market with a weight-loss pill
The two companies that introduced the world to the GLP-1 diabetes and weight-loss drugs semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound) in injectionable form have been racing to market with a pill version of their hit drugs. Late last month, Novo Nordisk secured Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval first, beating its rival drugmaker Eli Lilly, which expects its own drug to get the green light in March.
The Danish drugmaker was also first to market with the injectable version of its weight-loss drug Wegovy, but it struggled on the production side when a massive wave of demand outstripped supply. That dynamic allowed Eli Lilly to gain ground with its own weight-management drug, Zepbound, and pushed the American drugmaker’s stock to new heights.
In November, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly announced a deal with the Trump administration to make their upcoming weight-loss pills available for $149 out of pocket. Under the terms of the deal, part of the White House’s wider negotiation on drug prices, both companies will be exempt from tariffs on pharmaceutical products for three years.
Beyond Amazon Pharmacy, Novo’s weight-loss pill will also be coming to TrumpRx, the Trump administration’s upcoming portal that will connect consumers with drugmakers to lower prices. “For many years, Americans have paid the highest prices anywhere in the world for prescription drugs—much more than other countries for the exact same product,” Trump said in a quote featured on the TrumpRx placeholder site. “That ends today.” TrumpRx is expected to launch in early 2026.
Dr. Amazon will see you now
If you’re confused that Amazon is suddenly a healthcare provider, you’re probably not alone. The company best known for its sprawling online storefront and ubiquitous delivery trucks jumped into the prescription drug business in 2020 when it launched its own online pharmacy, which grew out of a previous acquisition of a company called PillPack.
In 2022, Amazon expanded its health ambitions by buying subscription-based primary care and telehealth provider One Medical for $3.9 billion. Last month, the tech giant launched a network of drug-vending kiosks, bringing its signature robotic touch to the pharmacy. The drug vending machines, located in some One Medical offices, are a no-footprint answer to major store closures from longtime drugstore companies like Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS.
With widespread patient-initiated telehealth and cheaper weight-loss drugs popping out of vending machines, the future of medicine is, for better or worse, looking a lot more like the future in 2026.
