(Reuters) -The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee said on Friday that Novo Nordisk (NYSE:) CEO Lars Jorgensen has agreed to voluntarily testify at a hearing focused on U.S. prices for weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.
A U.S. Senate health panel vote scheduled for its June 18 meeting to decide whether to subpoena Novo to answer questions about U.S. prices for the blockbuster drugs is no longer necessary and will be canceled, it says Senator Bernie Sanders, chairman of the committee, said.
The subpoena would have required Novo President Doug Langa to testify at a hearing on July 10.
Jorgensen will testify before the committee and the hearing will take place in early September.
Novo charges Americans $1,349 a month for Wegovy, while it can be purchased in Germany for $140 and in Britain for $92, Sanders said.
“The committee looks forward to Mr. Jorgensen explaining why Americans pay up to ten to fifteen times more for these drugs than people in other countries,” Sanders added.
In April, Sanders sent a letter to Langa asking for more information about U.S. prices for the two drugs.
Novo responded in May with a letter blaming the U.S. health care system for the high prices, according to a report.
