President Donald Trump announced an agreement with pharmaceutical giants Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to significantly reduce the cost of the weight loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound, which have become some of the world's most popular GLP-1-based treatments. This was reported by NBC News, writes UNN.
Details
As reported by the administration, after the agreement was reached, the monthly cost of the drugs will be between $50 and $350, depending on the dosage and insurance coverage. Currently, these drugs cost more than $1,000 per month, making them inaccessible to most patients.
Medicare and Medicaid programs will finally cover the cost of weight loss drugs for millions of patients suffering from obesity.
Under the terms of the agreement, on the government platform TrumpRx, the average price of Wegovy and Zepbound will start at $350 and decrease to $250 within two years. For Medicare patients, the co-payment will not exceed $50, and Medicaid users will generally be exempt from payment.
Pharmaceutical companies have also agreed to lower the price to the state for all GLP-1 drugs approved for diabetes treatment to $245 per month. The updated prices are expected to appear on the TrumpRx platform by the end of the year, and Medicare coverage programs will begin in mid-next year.
The agreement became part of the president's "most favored nation" initiative, aimed at lowering prescription drug prices to the level of leading countries in the world.