WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House announced agreements today with pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower the prices of their blockbuster weight-loss drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound for patients on Medicare, as well as for anyone who purchases them through the administration’s new TrumpRx direct-to-consumer program, expected to launch in January 2026.
Under the deals, for which few details have been made public, patients will be able to purchase Ozempic and Wegovy for $350 and Zepbound for $346 per month through TrumpRx — a steep reduction from current list prices of between $1,000 and $1,350 per month, though still higher than prices in other high-income nations like Canada, Germany, and Japan.
For the first time, Medicare will also expand coverage of these drugs for weight loss, expanding beyond previous coverage for heart disease and diabetes, at a reduced price of $245 a month.
“If you are a patient whose health and well-being depends on one of these life-changing but wildly overpriced drugs, today’s announcement is welcome news,” said Merith Basey, Executive Director of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “We commend the Trump administration for continuing to take steps that can bring much-needed relief to Americans who have been price-gouged for decades by pharmaceutical giants like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. Patients are overwhelmingly calling on the Administration and Congress to hold Big Pharma to account at a time when almost 60% of patients have skipped or delayed a prescription because of cost. Any voluntary deal with Big Pharma must be complemented with legislation that tackles the root causes of high drug prices.”
The news comes just days before Medicare’s second round of negotiated drug prices is expected to be announced under the 2022 Prescription Drug Law — a round that includes both Ozempic and Wegovy. While Administration officials have shared that the new deals are separate from those negotiations, the overlap raises important questions about how these agreements will relate to the binding Medicare-negotiated prices and whether this new voluntary initiative will complement or complicate the savings patients are due to receive under the law.
High costs for drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have forced patients to skip doses, go into debt, or look abroad for affordable options. Lower prices could bring these medications within reach for people like:
- Gloria Dralla from California: “My doctor decided that I should go on Wegovy to help with my weight loss goals, but I soon came to realize that my Wegovy prescription would cost me $1,600 a month out-of-pocket in the United States. Meanwhile, I could get a month’s worth of Wegovy for $250 in Italy — making me wonder why such a huge price discrepancy existed between the U.S. and other countries.“
- Aarolyn McCullough from Michigan: “I am prescribed Ozempic and other drugs, which I can thankfully afford due to manufacturer assistance and health coverage benefits I receive through my former employer. But without such assistance, a situation which I have faced before, I would be paying about $2,000 per month for all of my medications — and as a retired individual, this should not be my reality.”
The drug companies’ CEOs joined the President in the Oval Office for the announcement. Stock prices for both companies rose following early reports of the deal.
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Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is the only national, patient advocacy organization focused exclusively on policies to lower drug prices. We empower and mobilize patients and allies, hold accountable those in power, and fight to shape and achieve system-changing policies that make prescription drugs affordable for all people in the United States. P4ADNow is bipartisan and does not accept funding from organizations that profit from the development or distribution of prescription drugs. To learn more, visit: PatientsForAffordableDrugsNOW.org