Weight loss drug makers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk on Thursday secured deals with the Trump administration to reduce prices for their popular weight-loss drugs.
The prices of so-called GLP-1 drugs for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries will be effective from January 2026 — on administration’s direct-to-consumer website, upon its launch.
“It’s a triumph for American patients that will save lives and improve the health of millions and millions of Americans,” Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
What will be the cost on TrumpRx?
— Ozempic and Wegovy prices will fall from $1,000 and $1,350 per month, respectively, to $350.
— Zepbound and Orforglipron, if approved, will fall from $1,086 per month to an average of $346.
The White House said that in the event that 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 of those drugs will be priced at $150 per month through TrumpRx.
Mike Doustdar, chief executive officer of Novo Nordisk, said in a statement that “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.”
Under the new arrangement, consumers who are overweight and have prediabetes, have had a stroke or other cardiovascular disease will be eligible, reported CNN.
Medicare prices
— The Medicare prices of Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound will be $245.
— Medicare beneficiaries will pay a co-pay of just $50 per month.
Lilly Chief Executive Officer Dave Ricks in a statement called the announcement a pivotal moment in US health care policy that was “made possible through collaboration with the Trump Administration.”
Commercial health insurers would also be able to access prices estimated to be 25% lower than current cash prices, reported Reuters quoting officials.
The official added that the government will also expand coverage for GLP-1s under the deal, to overweight patients with prediabetes or heart problems, obese patients with comorbidities and severely obese patients, accounting for 10% of Medicare patients.
Prices of diabetes medicine to drop
Eli Lilly will provide Trulicity, a commonly used diabetes medicine, at $389 per month, a discount of $598 off of the list price, said the White House.
Whereas, Novo Nordisk will provide widely-used insulin products, including NovoLog and Tresiba, at $35 per month of supply.
Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly commit additional investments
Novo Nordisk has committed an additional $10 billion investment to strengthen its domestic footprint. Whereas, Eli Lilly has announced at least $27 billion in new US manufacturing investments.
