President Donald Trump on Thursday reportedly unveiled what he called “one of the biggest pharmaceutical price cuts in history,” announcing that two major drugmakers — Eli Lilly and Novartis — will drastically reduce the cost of their blockbuster weight-loss medications Wegovy and Zepbound. The move, Trump said, would make the treatments accessible to millions of Americans who have struggled to afford them.
Speaking from the Oval Office alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, the president said the new agreement would bring down the price of Wegovy from roughly $1,350 a month to $250, and Zepbound from around $1,080 to $346. Trump added that future oral versions of similar GLP-1 weight-loss drugs under development would be capped at $149 per month.
“These are groundbreaking weight-loss drugs that have helped millions live better, longer lives,” Trump said. “Until now, Americans have been spending as much as 520 percent more for Zepbound and 1,400 percent more for Wegovy than people in other countries. That ends today.”
The announcement marks a major shift in U.S. health policy. For years, these medications — also sold under the diabetes treatment brands Ozempic and Mounjaro — have been excluded from Medicare coverage for weight loss and rarely covered under Medicaid. Under Trump’s plan, both programs will now include the drugs for patients diagnosed with obesity, with Medicare copays as low as $50 per month.
“This is tremendous news for American seniors,” Trump said, touting the deal as part of his ongoing effort to reduce drug prices. “You go from $1,350 to $50 — nobody has seen anything like this before.”
Trump, known for his off-the-cuff style, paused midway through his remarks to ask Secretary Kennedy about the drugs’ safety record. “So far, never heard anything bad about them, only good about them,” he said. “Someday, maybe something will come out and we’ll notify you immediately. So far, I have not heard that, including Zepbound and Wegovy, often called Ozempic.”
The president also said the discounts would extend to direct consumer purchases through a new government portal, trumprx.gov, a name the pharmaceutical companies insisted on using. “They wanted to use my name,” Trump joked. “It turned out to be amazing.”
He framed the initiative as part of a broader effort to confront what he called “decades of price gouging” by the pharmaceutical industry and to “put American patients first.”
“Other countries are not happy with us,” Trump said, referring to the international reaction to the price cuts. “I don’t think they like me too much, Bobby, but that’s okay.”
The announcement drew immediate praise from consumer advocates who have long argued that weight-loss drugs were out of reach for many Americans despite their effectiveness. For Trump, it was a return to a familiar theme — using the power of the presidency to pressure drugmakers and claim results few of his predecessors achieved.
“Did I do a good job?” Trump asked the assembled reporters. “They won’t write about it. Do you think Biden could have done this? I don’t think so.”
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