Topline
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk will cut prices of their obesity drugs and Medicare will begin covering the drugs for some patients beginning next year, pursuant to a deal President Donald Trump announced Thursday with the drug companies.
President Donald Trump makes an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on November 6, 2025. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Treatments will be offered directly to consumers on a new “TrumpRx.gov” website launching in January, including new obesity pills from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, which will also be available to some Medicare and Medicaid recipients.
The companies will cut the price Medicare pays for the GLP-1s—which cost about $1,000 to $1,350 per month before insurance—to $245 per month, and offer all 50 states the lower price for Medicaid programs.
Patients using TrumpRx.gov to purchase Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lily’s Zepbound without insurance will pay about $350 per month for the injectables, and the price will be reduced to $250 per month over the next two years.
The lowest price of $149 per month for the lowest dose of the pill form of the drugs will be offered to consumers and Medicare and Medicaid when the drugs reach the market.
People with severe obesity will be able to access the drugs via Medicare at a $50 co-pay, starting as soon as mid-2026.
The products will also be exempt from Trump’s pharmaceutical tariffs for three years.
Crucial Quote
“Until now, neither of these two popular drugs have been covered by Medicare for weight loss and they’ve only rarely been covered by Medicaid,” Trump said. “They’ve often cost consumers more than $1,000 per month and some a lot more than that. Americans have been spending as much as 520% for Zepbound and 1,400% more for Wegovy than patients in Europe.”
Key Background
The deal is the latest signed by the Trump administration as part of its “most favored nations” policy with pharmaceutical companies to lower the cost of drug prices in line with those of other countries. The new pricing is likely to be available by the end of the year on TrumpRx and via Medicare by mid-2026. The policy is expected to expand access to the weight-loss drugs for patients on Medicare, which historically has been barred from covering drugs that treat weight-loss alone.
Further Reading
Obesity Drugs May Drop to as Little as $150 a Month (The New York Times)
Lilly, Novo to Lower Obesity Drug Prices in Deal With Trump (Bloomberg)
Trump administration announces deal to lower weight loss drug prices for many Americans (ABC)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/11/06/trump-announces-steep-discounts-on-obesity-drugs/
