Key Takeaways
Costco pharmacies will now offer Ozempic and Wegovy for $499 per month with a prescription
The discount aims to expand access to real versions of the drugs amid rising demand
Experts say affordability and insurance coverage remain major barriers for many Americans
MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Costco shoppers will be able fill prescriptions for Ozempic and Wegovy — two of the most popular weight loss and diabetes drugs — at a discount.
Novo Nordisk, the maker of both medications, announced Friday that the warehouse retailer will sell a four-week supply of the injections for $499 out of pocket at its more than 600 U.S. Costco pharmacies.
The same price is already available on Novo Nordisk’s direct-to-consumer website, as well as at Walmart and CVS pharmacies.
“We want to make sure we offer the real, authentic Wegovy and Ozempic where patients seek care,” David "Dave" Moore, president of Novo Nordisk U.S., told NBC News. “We know that Costco is a trusted brand.”
The move is part of Novo Nordisk’s effort to expand legitimate access to its medications and compete with compounding pharmacies and medical spas that sell unapproved versions.
Costco members with a valid prescription can pay the $499 self-pay price, while insurance coverage will vary by plan. Executive members and Costco credit card holders may also earn cash back through the retailer’s pharmacy rewards program.
Ozempic and Wegovy are part of a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which mimic a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite.
Originally developed to treat diabetes, they’ve become popular for weight loss and have shown promise in lowering stroke and heart risk and improving liver health in recent studies.
"This will definitely improve one of the issues with access," Dr. Rekha Kumar, endocrinologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, told NBC News.
Though she noted it doesn’t solve issues of insurance coverage and cost, it creates options for patients.
"There is another place that people can get the medicine that you know isn’t their retail pharmacy, isn’t an online tele-health pharmacy, but a large store that many people in the United States go to,” Kumar said.
Still, affordability remains a major barrier. While some insured patients can pay as little as $25 per month, many plans still don't cover GLP-1 drugs prescribed for obesity.
Notably, only 13 states include them in Medicaid coverage, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy organization.
“The people who have the greatest need for these medications are precisely the people who are in lower socioeconomic strata who have either poor insurance or no insurance, and don’t have the discretionary funds to be spending on medications,” Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a cardiologist at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., told NBC News.
“If we really want to make the biggest difference on the health of the nation, we have to make sure that the people who would benefit the most have access to medications that are being shown to be beneficial," he said.
More information
Harvard Health has more on GLP-1.
SOURCE: NBC News, Oct. 3, 2025
What This Means For You
Costco’s new offerings could make it easier for some people to get Ozempic and Wegovy.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.