The Trump administration on Thursday announced agreements with two leading drugmakers to reduce the prices many Americans pay for several of their most popular drugs.
“Today, I’m thrilled to announce that the two world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturers, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, have agreed to offer their most popular GLP-1 weight loss drug — I call it the fat drug, remember — at drastic discounts,” the president announced in the Oval Office.
Under the agreement:
- The prices of Ozempic and Wegovy from Novo Nordisk will decline from $1,000 and $1,350 per month, respectively, to $350 when purchased through TrumpRx.
- The price of Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Orforglipron (if approved) will fall from $1,086 per month to an average of $346 when purchased through TrumpRx.
- If the FDA later approves the Wegovy pill or certain similar GLP-1 drugs in each company’s pipeline intended to be taken orally rather than as a shot, the initial dose will be priced at $150 per month through TrumpRx.
- The Medicare prices of Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound will be $245. State Medicaid programs will have access to the same prices. These prices will enable Medicare to cover Wegovy and Zepbound for patients with obesity and related comorbidities for the first time.
Trump said Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk also have agreed to provide all of their other medications at most favored nation prices, meaning Americans will pay prices that are competitive with consumers in other countries.
“In case after case, our citizens pay massively higher prices than other nations pay for the same exact pill, from the same factory, effectively subsidizing socialism abroad with skyrocketing prices at home,” he said. “So we would spend tremendous amounts of money in order to provide inexpensive drugs to another country. And when I say the price is different, you can see some examples where the price is beyond anything — four times, five times different.”
Increasing access to these medicines can be game changing for Americans with obesity, a risk factor driving more than 200 associated diseases, including heart disease, strokes and certain types of cancers, Eli Lilly said in a news release.
“As we expand access to obesity treatments for more Americans and advance one of the most innovative obesity pipelines, we remain focused on improving outcomes, strengthening the U.S. health care system and contributing to the health of our nation for generations to come.” said David A. Ricks, the company’s chair and CEO.
Mike Doustdar, president and CEO of Novo Nordisk, agreed.
“Novo Nordisk has always worked to secure affordable access to our innovative medicines, and today’s announcement will bring semaglutide medicines to more American patients at a lower cost,” he said.