Costco joins the weight-loss business by selling Ozempic and Wegovy


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Summary

Weight-loss drugs for sale

Retail giant Costco has announced that it will begin selling popular weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic at hundreds of stores nationwide.

Prescription needed

Costco members will need a prescription to buy the injectable pens.

Drug maker lowers price

Novo Nordisk, which makes both Wegovy and Ozempic, recently cut the price to $499 for a four-week supply.


Full story

Costco will soon begin selling the popular weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic through 500 of its pharmacies nationwide. Costco members will need a prescription for the injectable pen.

A four-week supply of either drug will cost $499, The New York Times reports — about half the manufacturer’s list price for Ozempic and about two-thirds less than that for Wegovy.

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Costco executive members and customers who have the Costco Citibank credit card will reportedly get a 2% discount, as well as a cash-back reward through the Costco prescription program. Members who have health insurance might also end up paying less.

Drug maker seeks new markets

Novo Nordisk, which makes both drugs, continues to branch out as it deals with competition from less expensive versions.

The company recently reduced the price of Wegovy to $499 per month after competitor Eli Lilly dropped its price for another weight-loss drug, Zepbound, to the same amount. The companies have said the lower prices could allow some customers to pay out of pocket rather than through their insurance plans.

Novo Nordisk now offers both Ozempic and Wegovy at its direct-to-consumer website for $499, the same price as at stores such as Walmart and CVS.

The expansion into Costco opens up access to even more customers; data platform Statista shows that Costco had more than 76 million members at the end of 2024. Costco is the nation’s third-largest retailer, behind only Walmart and Amazon.

“We continue to find new ways to make access to our medicines more convenient, meeting people where they are,” a Novo Nordisk spokeswoman told the Times.

Novo Nordisk reported sales of $24 billion in the first half of 2025. But it forecasts that sales will slow down to round out the year. Its share price has fallen by 50% in 2025.

Popularity of GLP-1 drugs 

About 7 million Americans now take a GLP-1 drug. Its active ingredient, semaglutide, imitates the body’s natural hormone and reduces hunger by signaling to the brain that a person is full. Its popularity has taken off after initially being prescribed for people with diabetes and those who suffer from obesity.

The New York Times, citing research from Morgan Stanley, estimates that 24 million Americans could be using the various weight-loss drugs in the next decade.

Mathew Grisham (Digital Producer) contributed to this report.
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Why this story matters

Costco’s plan to offer lower-priced Wegovy and Ozempic increases access to popular weight-loss drugs and signals shifts in the retail pharmaceutical market affecting millions of Americans managing obesity and diabetes.

Drug accessibility

Making Wegovy and Ozempic available at Costco at a reduced price expands access to these medications for more consumers who may have previously found cost a barrier.

Retail pharmacy competition

Costco competing with other major retailers and online platforms by offering these drugs illustrates changing dynamics in how consumers can obtain prescription medications.

SAN provides
Unbiased. Straight Facts.

Don’t just take our word for it.


Certified balanced reporting

According to media bias experts at AllSides

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Transparent and credible

Awarded a perfect reliability rating from NewsGuard

100/100

Welcome back to trustworthy journalism.

Find out more

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