(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 on U.S. prices of weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.
A Senate health panel vote that 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 needed and will be canceled, said Sen. Bernie Sanders, who chairs committee said.
The subpoena would have required Novo President Doug Langi to testify at a July 10 hearing.
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 for $140 in Germany and $92 in the UK, Sanders said.
“The Committee looks forward to Mr. Jorgensen explaining why Americans pay ten to 15 times more for these drugs than people in other countries,” Sanders added.
Sanders sent a letter to Lange in April asking for more information about U.S. prices for the two drugs.
Novo responded with a letter in May blaming the U.S. health care system for high prices, according to the report.