Meena Seshamani’s Medicare swan song ended on a note of bravura: the announcement that 15 costly drugs, including Novo Nordisk blockbusters Wegovy and Ozempic, are slated for price talks.

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Federal officials are targeting the blockbuster drugs as part of their ongoing initiative to lower drug costs.

In other news, Novo Nordisk announced the results from its phase 3b STEP UP semaglutide trial today. Specifically, the company said semaglutide 7.2 milligram (mg) injections over a 72-week period resulted in an average weight loss of 20.7%, better than the 17.5% weight loss achieved in a prior trial of semaglutide 2.4 mg injections.

The Biden administration announced Friday that Ozempic, Wegovy and 13 additional drugs will now be covered under Medicare Part-D for price negotiations, the next round of negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act passed by President Joe Biden in 2022.

Stock prices for Novo Nordisk fell by about 3% at market open after the Biden administration selected its revolutionary drugs for mandatory price negotiations.

Medicare released its next target list of 15 drugs to negotiate prices of, including Novo Nordisk's blockbuster GLP-1 drugs.

Novo Nordisk's blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss treatment Wegovy are among the 15 drugs targeted for Medicare price negotiations for 2027, the U.S. government said on Friday. Other drugs on the list include Pfizer's cancer drugs Ibrance and Xtandi,

Novo Nordisk’s NVO shares lost 5.3% on Friday after Medicare issued a press release selecting the company’s popular semaglutide medicines as one of the 15 additional drugs covered under Medicare Part D for the second round of price negotiations in 2025.

Novo Nordisk has faced a massive selloff in recent months amid disappointing drug trials and U.S. pressure to cut its prices.

Intel Corporation (INTC) shares surged 9.3% on takeover speculation following its CEO's December departure. Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) shares fell 5.3% after Medicare included semaglutide, the key ingredient in Ozempic,