The Trump administration is expected to announce as soon as this week an agreement with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to cut prices on their weight-loss drugs in exchange for limited Medicare coverage, according to two people familiar with the plan.
The deal will lower the cost of the lowest-dose blockbuster GLP-1 drugs—Lilly's Zepbound and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy—to just $149 a month, the people said.
In turn, Medicare will cover drug costs for some Medicare beneficiaries.
It's unclear whether the $149 price will apply broadly to private and public insurance. or only for people paying in cash. It was not immediately clear which Medicare patients would be eligible for coverage. Details of the plan may still change.
The people confirmed a possible deal for conditions of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The news was first reported by Endpoint News.
The Washington Post reports this. the deal could be announced as soon as Thursday.
White House spokesman Khush Desai said in a statement: “Discussions of deals that have not been formally announced by the administration should be considered speculation.”
In emailed statements, representatives from Lilly and Novo Nordisk confirmed they were in talks with the Trump administration but did not provide any details about any potential deal.
If completed, it would be the most significant agreement to emerge from President Donald Trump's efforts to lower prescription drug prices to work more closely with other developed countries. its drug pricing policy within the framework of “most favored nation”. Trump renewed the initiative by decree in May after unsuccessfully attempting to achieve this during his first term.
The administration also reached agreements with Pfizer and AstraZeneca reduce the cost of some prescription drugs under Medicaid.
In October, Trump said the administration was close to an agreement to lower the cost of weight-loss drugs.
“Instead of $1,300, you'll pay about $150,” he said from the White House.
Zepbound and Wegovy currently have list prices above $1,000 a month, although both companies have introduced cheaper options for people paying cash amid public scrutiny over the high cost of drugs. Costco recently announced that it will sell Wegovy and its diabetes drug Ozempic for $499 to people without insurance; Lilly announced a similar deal with Walmart for Zepbound.
Medicare currently covers Wegovy for patients at risk for heart disease, as well as Zepbound for sleep apnea, but not just for weight loss. Ozempic, which has the same active ingredient as Wegovy, is used for diabetes.
Biden Administration proposed expanding coverage of GLP-1 drugs through Medicare and Medicaid, but the Trump administration later rejected the plan.
Ozempic and Wegovy are also included in next round of Medicare drug price negotiations Under the Inflation Relief Act, which former President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022. The Trump administration was expected to finalize new prices for 15 drugs, including GLP-1, by November 1. Trump officials have shown less enthusiasm for negotiations, focusing instead on executive orders and voluntary pricing agreements with drug makers. The administration is expected to announce new prices by November 30.
