Novo Nordisk bought prescribers over 450,000 meals and snacks to promote drugs like Ozempic

WASHINGTON – Novo Nordisk spent $11 million on meals and travel for thousands of doctors last year, federal records show, as part of its push to promote Ozempic and other weight loss-inducing diabetes drugs.

The pharmaceutical company bought more than 457,000 meals to educate doctors and other prescribers about its portfolio of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists, according to the newly released data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Nearly 12,000 prescribers had food paid for by the company more than a dozen times last year. More than two hundred recorded more than 50 meals and snacks paid for by the company. One doctor, who is a frequent speaker for the company, recorded 193.

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