Trump Strikes Deal To Lower Cost Of Weight Loss Drugs

President Donald Trump said Thursday his management has reached an agreement pinch drugmakers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to little nan costs of their blockbuster GLP-1 weight nonaccomplishment drugs, Wegovy and Zepbound, respectively.

Under nan deal, nan monthly out-of-pocket costs of nan narcotics could scope from $50 to $350, depending connected nan dosage and security coverage, a elder management charismatic said.

Currently, Zepbound and Wegovy transportation database prices supra $1,000 a month, though some companies person introduced little costs options for patients paying successful rate and purchasing nan narcotics straight done their websites. To further grow access, Costco precocious announced it would waste Wegovy and Ozempic for $499 for group who paid cash, while Walmart launched a akin statement pinch Lilly’s Zepbound.

People whose security covers nan narcotics usually salary overmuch little than nan database price. However, galore insurers do not screen them.

The agreements could make nan celebrated treatments much affordable for millions who person struggled to entree them — though experts opportunity it remains unclear who would instantly benefit, since immoderate of nan narcotics are already covered for Medicare patients pinch definite aesculapian conditions and nan caller costs stay precocious for galore patients.

It’s unclear whether group connected Medicare who request nan narcotics for weight nonaccomplishment unsocial would benefit. Medicare is barred from covering narcotics that dainty weight nonaccomplishment alone.

During a White House briefing, Trump said Medicare and Medicaid “will yet screen nan costs of nan weight nonaccomplishment narcotics for millions of patients suffering from obesity.”

On TrumpRx — nan government’s discount level for buying medicine narcotics pinch rate — nan mean monthly costs for Wegovy and Zepbound will commencement astatine $350 and driblet to $250 wrong nan adjacent 2 years, according to elder management officials.

Medicare and Medicaid screen GLP-1 narcotics for glucosuria and immoderate different aesculapian conditions. These narcotics see Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Lilly’s Zepbound.

The drugmakers person voluntarily agreed to trim nan prices nan authorities pays for each GLP-1 narcotics already approved for glucosuria and different indications to $245 a period crossed each non-starting doses. People connected Medicare will salary nary much than a $50 copay. People connected Medicaid typically do not salary a copay.

The management expects nan direct-to-consumer pricing to beryllium disposable by nan extremity of nan twelvemonth connected nan TrumpRx tract and Medicare sum to beryllium disposable by nan mediate of adjacent year.

The woody is portion of Trump’s “most favored nation” push, an effort by nan president to little medicine supplier prices and bring them much successful statement pinch different developed nations. Trump revived nan inaugural done an executive bid successful May aft unsuccessfully pursuing it during his first term.

Stacie Dusetzina, a wellness argumentation professor astatine Vanderbilt University successful Nashville, Tennessee, said she has questions astir really nan scheme would activity adjacent year, since Medicare has already group premiums and copays for 2026.

She added that it’s besides unclear really galore group would beryllium capable to entree nan narcotics nether nan caller deal. Medicare already covers Wegovy for patients pinch bosom illness consequence and Zepbound for slumber apnea, but not for weight nonaccomplishment alone. Ozempic is covered for diabetes.

“It’s not wholly clear to maine really expansive this is,” she said, adding that $250 to $350 a period is still a batch of money for galore people.

“The bully news,” Dusetzina said, “is that group who want to usage these medications and person nan money tin entree them done direct-to-consumer avenues.”

Meanwhile, nan woody mentioned that starting doses of GLP-1 pills will costs $149. No GLP-1 pills for weight nonaccomplishment person been approved, though Novo Nordisk and Lilly are studying these formulations. Lilly said it has applied for a “priority voucher,” which would expedite nan support of a weight nonaccomplishment pill. A elder charismatic said nan management expects that privilege voucher will beryllium approved Thursday.

The management has besides reached akin pricing agreements pinch Pfizer and AstraZeneca to trim costs for definite medicine narcotics covered nether Medicaid.

The Biden management antecedently projected expanding Medicare and Medicaid sum for GLP-1 drugs, but nan Trump management later rejected that plan.

Ozempic and Wegovy are besides among nan narcotics selected for nan adjacent information of Medicare value negotiations nether nan Inflation Reduction Act, which President Joe Biden signed into rule successful 2022. The Trump management was expected to finalize caller prices for 15 narcotics — including nan GLP-1s — by Nov. 1, but officials person shown little enthusiasm for nan general speech process, focusing alternatively connected executive orders and voluntary pricing agreements pinch manufacturers. The management is expected to unveil nan caller prices by Nov. 30.

Trump’s woody Thursday is not portion of nan Medicare supplier pricing negotiations.