The Trump administration is expected to announce deals as early as this week with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk that would lower the prices of weight-loss drugs in exchange for limited Medicare coverage, according to two people familiar with the plans.
The deal will reduce the cost of the lowest doses of the blockbuster GLP-1 drugs (Lily’s Zebbound and Novo Nordisk’s WeGovi) to $149 per month, officials said.
In return, Medicare covers drugs for some Medicare beneficiaries.
It’s not yet clear whether the $149 price will be applied broadly across private and public insurance. Or only for those who pay in cash. It was not immediately clear which Medicare patients would be eligible for coverage. Details of the plan may still change.
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that The Washington Post reported. The deal could be announced as early as Thursday.
“Discussion of a deal that has not been officially announced by the administration should be considered speculation,” White House press secretary Khushi Desai said in a statement.
In emailed statements, representatives for Lilly and Novo Nordisk confirmed they were in discussions with the Trump administration but did not provide further details about the potential deal.
If confirmed, it would be the most important agreement to come out of President Donald Trump’s efforts to lower prescription drug prices to align more closely with other developed countries. This is also known as his “Most Favored Nation” drug pricing policy. Trump failed to pursue this plan during his first term, but revived it through an executive order last May.
The administration also reached an agreement with Pfizer; AstraZeneca To lower the cost of some prescription drugs under Medicaid.
In October, President Trump said his administration was close to a deal to lower the price of weight-loss drugs.
“Instead of $1,300, you’re going to pay about $150,” he said at the White House.
Zepbound and Wegovy currently offer list prices of over $1,000 per month. But both companies have launched cheaper options for those who pay with cash amid intense public scrutiny of the drugs’ high prices. Costco recently announced that it would sell Wegovy and the diabetes drug Ozempic for $499 to people without insurance. lily announced a similar deal Join Walmart for Zepbound.
Medicare currently covers Wegovy for patients at risk for heart disease and Zepbound for sleep apnea, but not just for weight loss. Ozempic, which contains the same active ingredients as Wegovy, is guaranteed against diabetes.
The Biden administration proposed expanding coverage of GLP-1 drugs through Medicare and Medicaid, but the Trump administration later rejected the proposal.
Ozempic and Hugobee were also included in the next round of Medicare drug price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction 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 signaled they are less eager to negotiate and are instead focused on executive orders and voluntary drug pricing agreements with drugmakers. The government is expected to release new prices by November 30.
