Trump makes a deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk

President Donald Trump on Thursday concluded historic agreements with… Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk To reduce the prices of popular weight loss drugs.

Under the agreements, the monthly cost of the upcoming common injections and pills could range from $50 to $350 starting next year, depending on the dose and the insurance coverage the patient has, Trump administration officials said.

Existing GLP-1 products, including Eli Lilly’s Zepbound obesity injections and Novo Nordisk’s competitor Wegovy, carry prices above $1,000 a month, which has deterred many patients from taking them. Both companies offered lower-cost options for people who paid cash and purchased medications directly through their websites.

But the deals with Trump, as part of his “most favored nation” policy, take those efforts to expand access even further. Here’s how much weight-loss drugs will cost patients under the new agreements, based on details shared so far.

Medicare has covered GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and some other medical conditions: for example, Wegovy to reduce cardiovascular risk. But under the new deals, Medicare will begin covering obesity drugs for the first time starting in mid-2026, which could allow more seniors to qualify for them and incentivize more private insurers to cover them.

Some Medicare patients will pay a copayment of $50 per month for all approved uses of GLP-1 drugs, including treatment of diabetes and obesity.

But the Trump administration is placing some restrictions on which Medicare beneficiaries will be eligible for GLP-1 for obesity treatment and cardiovascular and metabolic benefits.

Patients are eligible if they fall into these three groups:

• The first includes people who are overweight – with a body mass index greater than 27 – or with prediabetes or cardiovascular disease.
• The second group is people who suffer from obesity – with a body mass index greater than 30 – and uncontrolled high blood pressure, kidney disease or heart failure.
• The third group is obese patients, or anyone with a body mass index greater than 35.

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have voluntarily agreed to reduce the prices the government pays for existing GLP-1 drugs already approved for diabetes and other uses to $245 per month, across all uninitiated doses. The savings from these price reductions will allow Medicare to begin paying the same price point for GLP-1s for patients with obesity and high metabolic or cardiovascular risk.

The agreement will also allow patients to obtain GLP-1s on direct-to-consumer platforms at greater discounts than they already receive through the drug manufacturers’ existing websites.

On TrumpRx — the government’s direct-to-consumer platform for purchasing prescription drugs with cash expected to launch next year — the average monthly cost for Wegovy, Zepbound and other injectable GLP-1 drugs will start at $350 and drop to $250 within the next two years, according to senior administration officials.

Initial doses of the upcoming obesity pill from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, pending approvals, will be $145 per month on TrumpRx, Medicare and Medicaid. Under the deals announced Thursday, pharmaceutical companies will get accelerated reviews for their upcoming pills.

Eli Lilly said Thursday it will cut prices by $50 on its direct-to-consumer platform, LillyDirect, which already offers Zepbound and other drugs at a discount to patients who pay with cash. The Zepbound Multi-Dose Pen will be available for $299 per month at the lowest dose, with additional doses going for $449 per month.

Eli Lilly’s pills, once approved, will be available at a minimum dose starting at $149 per month

State Medicaid coverage of GLP-1 obesity medications is spotty.

But Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have agreed to extend low government pricing for GLP-1 drugs — $245 a month across all other non-starter doses — to all 50 Medicaid programs for all covered uses.

Countries will have to subscribe to these prices, which means some may not. Check with your state government about coverage.