Trump Announces Deal to Expand Coverage and Lower Costs on Weight-Loss Drugs

TIME

President Donald Trump unveiled a deal Thursday with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to expand coverage and reduce prices for their popular obesity treatments Zepbound and Wegovy.  The drugs are part of a new generation of obesity medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that have soared in popularity in recent years.

Transcript

00:00Well, this is very exciting because, again, we're bringing drug prices down to a level of stability as well as possible.

00:08Tremendous cuts, 200 percent, 300 percent, 500 percent, 700 percent, a little more than that.

00:16So today I'm thrilled to announce that the two world's largest pharmaceutical manufacturers,

00:23Eli Lilly and Noah Nordisk, have agreed to offer their most popular GLP-1 weight loss drug.

00:32I call it the fat drug, remember?

00:36At drastic discounts. They're very effective drugs.

00:40And so far I've never heard anything bad about them. I only hear good about them.

00:44Is there anything bad about them, Bob? Yeah, I haven't heard anything bad about them.

00:50Someday maybe it'll come out, which will notify you immediately.

00:54But so far I haven't heard that.

00:56Including the drugs known as Zepard and Wegovy, often called Ozepic.

01:04It's a triumph for American patients that will save lives and improve the health of millions and millions of Americans.

01:12Amazing thing. They are amazing.

01:15I want to thank Eli Lilly, CEO David Ricks, a friend of mine.

01:20We've worked long and hard. He and I got this whole thing started in a way.

01:24And Novo Nordisk, CEO Mike Dostar, for joining us today.

01:31Great, talented people. They make a lot of money.

01:36I looked at the money, but they're entitled to the money because the companies have done very well.

01:41Along with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary Howard Lutnik.

01:47Do you take any of this stuff, Howard?

01:49Not yet.

01:50Okay, good.

01:51CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, he doesn't take it.

01:55But this is a great day for American health and healthcare and for all of American patients.

02:01These are things that are miracles to have this happen.

02:04And they're, you know, we're bringing all our medicines again because of tariffs.

02:08We're bringing all our medicines. If you remember where, during COVID, we made almost no medicine here.

02:15We had to go to China. We had to go to Ireland. We had to go to other places, UK, to get our medicine.

02:21We didn't make it here. Now we're making it. We'll soon be making it all here.

02:25Again, because of tariffs. And my election. But because of tariffs, much more.

02:30For years, politicians have talked about making healthcare affordable. But my administration is actually doing it.

02:37Americans deserve the best healthcare in the world. And we're now getting the best healthcare at the lowest price.

02:43President Trump is the friend of the forgotten American. Obesity is a disease of poverty. Overwhelmingly.

02:53And this drug, these drugs, have only been available for people who have wealth.

03:00If we want to solve the chronic disease crisis, we have to tackle obesity. Obesity is the number one driver of chronic disease.

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