Trump secures GLP‑1 pricing deals

President Donald Trump announced on November 6, 2025 that his administration had reached separate agreements with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower prices for GLP-1 drugs used for obesity, diabetes and related cardiometabolic conditions. The White House said the deals would cut costs for Medicare and Medicaid patients and create a direct-purchase channel, TrumpRx, for people paying out of pocket. Administration officials said Medicare beneficiaries would face a $50 monthly co-pay, while cash prices for some injectable obesity drugs bought through TrumpRx would start around $350 a month. The agreements landed as the GLP-1 market was moving from shortage-driven demand toward a fight over price, coverage and distribution. Reuters reported on May 21, 2026 that lower-cost oral obesity drugs from Lilly and Novo were already drawing some patients away from compounded alternatives, based on interviews with nine U.S. doctors. (ajmc.com) ### Which drugs are covered by the agreements? The White House fact sheet described the deals as applying to Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide products, including Wegovy and Ozempic, and Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide products, including Zepbound and Mounjaro. AJMC, citing the administration, said the reduced pricing would apply under Medicare and Medicaid and through TrumpRx, a government-backed online purchasing platform due to launch in 2026. (money.usnews.com) ABC News reported that the administration also negotiated prices for future oral GLP-1 products, with starting prices for pill versions expected at about $150 for initial doses once those medicines are available. Senior administration officials told ABC those oral products were still awaiting U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval at the time of the November announcement. (ajmc.com) ### What changes for Medicare patients? Medicare beneficiaries are the clearest near-term winners in the deal structure described by the administration. ABC News reported that Medicare patients would pay a $50 co-pay and could begin seeing the new pricing as soon as mid-2026. The same report said people with severe obesity would soon be able to access the drugs under Medicare, expanding beyond the narrower existing federal coverage tied to specific comorbid conditions. (abcnews.com) AJMC reported that Medicare Part D and Medicaid would cover Wegovy and Ozempic through a pilot program designed to reach most Part D beneficiaries. The outlet said the arrangement was framed by the administration as part of Trump’s “Most Favored Nation” drug-pricing push. ### How far do the manufacturer price cuts go? (abcnews.com) Novo Nordisk announced on February 24, 2026 that it would lower the U.S. list price of Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus to $675 per month effective January 1, 2027. The company said that represented reductions of about 50% for Wegovy and 35% for Ozempic from current list prices. Jamey Millar, executive vice president of U.S. operations, said the company was responding to payer and patient demands for lower list prices. (ajmc.com) Eli Lilly separately cut self-pay prices for Zepbound single-dose vials on December 1, 2025. Lilly said patients with prescriptions could obtain the 2.5 mg dose for $299 a month, the 5 mg dose for $399, and other approved doses for $449 through its self-pay program on LillyDirect. (prnewswire.com) ### Why are compounded GLP-1 drugs part of this story? Reuters reported on May 21, 2026 that doctors were seeing some patients move from compounded GLP-1 products to branded Lilly and Novo medicines as lower-cost oral and self-pay options became available. Dr. Michael Weintraub of NYU Langone told Reuters that patients were increasingly asking to switch to “pharmaceutical-grade branded” versions as prices became more competitive. (lilly.gcs-web.com) The same Reuters report said Lilly began selling its oral obesity medicine in April 2026 and Novo began selling its oral version in January 2026. Doctors told Reuters that lower starting prices, including about $149 a month for low doses of Novo’s oral Wegovy, had narrowed the gap with compounded products. (money.usnews.com) ### What comes next, and when? TrumpRx is scheduled to launch in 2026, according to the White House summary cited by AJMC, and ABC News reported Medicare patients could begin seeing the new co-pay structure by mid-2026. Novo Nordisk’s broader list-price reset takes effect on January 1, 2027, while Lilly’s lower Zepbound self-pay vial prices are already in place through LillyDirect. (ajmc.com) (money.usnews.com)