Trump announces deals with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower weight-loss drug prices
President Trump announced agreements with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to cap monthly costs for popular weight-loss drugs at $245–$350 for eligible patients.
November 6, 2025 - 02:03 PM ET • 2 min read
President Donald Trump announced agreements with pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk on Thursday aimed at drastically lowering the cost of popular GLP-1 weight-loss medications for certain eligible Americans.
Speaking alongside drug executives at the White House, President Trump unveiled the deals, which cap the monthly price for obesity treatments, including Eli Lilly's Zepbound and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic, at an average of $245 to $350 for eligible patients. This represents a significant reduction from the current cost, which often exceeds $1,000 and can reach as high as $1,350 per month without insurance or discounts.
The administration framed the agreements as a major victory in its messaging around affordability, placing pharmaceutical pricing at the center of its domestic policy agenda.
The discounts will be available to eligible users enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid, the government's public healthcare plans for elderly and low-income Americans, as well as eligible users of the planned "TrumpRx" pharmaceutical website, administration officials said.
In exchange for the price caps, the pharmaceutical companies will receive expanded access to Medicare and Medicaid markets. Eli Lilly confirmed that a separate component of its agreement with the Trump administration includes a three-year exemption from tariffs.
GLP-1 drugs are widely used to treat both diabetes and obesity. The high price of these medications has made them a central focus of political debate regarding healthcare costs in the United States.
President Trump, who referred to the medications as the "fat drug," noted the difficulty of the negotiations with the executives. "You think it was easy dealing with these people? It wasn't," he said in the Oval Office.
The administration estimates that millions of Americans could benefit from the reduced pricing, though eligibility is tied specifically to enrollment in the designated government programs or the new pharmaceutical website. An estimated 10% of Medicare beneficiaries are expected to be eligible under the terms of the deal.
The announcement comes as pharmaceutical prices continue to take center stage in political discussions regarding consumer affordability. The deals mark a significant intervention by the administration into the pricing structure of some of the fastest-growing drugs on the market.