While grilling Novo Nordisk’s chief executive over the price of its blockbuster diabetes and weight-loss drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, on Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders alleged that 40,000 people a year in the US could die if the company doesn’t make the medicines more affordable.

What I am asking you is, if you don’t act, 40,000 people a year could die? Is this acceptable to you?” the senator asked.

Novo Nordisk's CEO said the complexities of the U.S. healtchare system prevented access to $1,349 Wegovy.