(Reuters) – Novo Nordisk (NYSE:) CEO Lars Jorgensen has agreed to voluntarily testify at a hearing focusing on U.S. prices for weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions said on Friday.
A vote by the US Senate Health Committee, which was scheduled to meet on June 18, to decide whether to subpoena Novo to answer questions about US prices for blockbuster drugs, is no longer necessary and will be canceled, said Senator Bernie Sanders, who chairs the The Commission. He said.
The subpoena would have required Novo President Doug Langa to testify at a hearing on July 10.
Jorgensen is scheduled to testify before the committee, and the hearing will be held in early September.
Novo charges Americans $1,349 a month for Wegovy, while it can be purchased for $140 in Germany and $92 in the United Kingdom, Sanders said.
“The committee looks forward to Mr. Jorgensen explaining why Americans pay up to ten or 15 times more for these drugs than people in other countries,” Sanders added.
In April, Sanders sent Langa a letter requesting more information about US prices for the two drugs.
Novo responded with a letter in May blaming the US health system for the price hikes, according to a report.