Cutting costs... Musk says "Obesity drugs should be offered to the public at ultra-low prices"

US Insurance CEO Murder Suspect Shares Statement
"US Healthcare Expensive but Life Expectancy Low"

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla known for the 'Wegovy Anthem,' has argued that the price of obesity medications should be drastically reduced for the health of Americans.

On the 11th (local time), Musk shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) quoting part of a declaration by Luigi Manzoni, who was arrested on charges of murdering Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare, stating, "There is nothing more helpful in improving the health, lifespan, and quality of life of Americans than providing GLP inhibitors to the public at ultra-low prices. Nothing else comes close."

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, X.

The post emphasized the sentence, "The United States has the most expensive healthcare system in the world, but ranks about 42nd in life expectancy," by circling it in red. Musk’s intention is interpreted as highlighting the fact that obesity medication prices are too high for the general public to access.

GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), which Musk is also known to use, is a hormone that promotes insulin secretion important for blood sugar control and suppresses appetite. Due to its confirmed weight loss effects, diabetes and obesity treatments based on it, such as Wegovy and Ozempic, have become wildly popular worldwide.

However, as Musk pointed out, obesity medications have a high price barrier for the public. According to the internet media Quartz, the monthly cost of Ozempic and Wegovy, developed by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, is approximately $968 (about 1.38 million KRW) and $1,349 (about 1.93 million KRW) respectively in the United States. This is because insurance coverage is legally prohibited when used solely for weight loss rather than for diabetes or heart disease treatment. In Germany, the price of Ozempic is about $59, and in the UK, Wegovy is priced around $92.

Reuters Yonhap News

In this regard, Senator Bernie Sanders pointed out last September that pharmaceutical companies could produce Ozempic for less than $100 per month, far cheaper than the current $1,300 price, criticizing the current price level as "nothing but corporate greed." Musk supported this by saying, "I disagree with Bernie on many things, but I agree on this point," adding, "We need to find a way for everyone who wants appetite suppressants to have access."

Politico reported, "The Biden administration is currently pushing to cover the cost of obesity medications through Medicare (healthcare support for the elderly) and Medicaid (healthcare support for low-income individuals)." However, it noted, "If insurance coverage is broadly applied to these drugs, it could cost billions of dollars, and Musk did not explain how he would handle this." This also conflicts with the 'spending cuts' mission of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk is set to lead.

Meanwhile, Dr. Mehmet Oz, appointed by then-President-elect Donald Trump as head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has also highly praised the GLP-1 obesity medication Ozempic. However, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated as Secretary of Health and Human Services, has expressed skepticism about the cost burden of obesity medications. In a recent Fox News interview, he snapped, "(Pharmaceutical companies) expect to sell GLP-1 obesity medications to Americans because we are too stupid and addicted to drugs."