This week, the White House announced an agreement with pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk that will “dramatically reduce the prices Americans pay for some of the world’s most popular drugs.” This initiative is part of the president’s ongoing effort to lower prescription drug costs — a promise he made when signing an executive order back in May.
### Key Drugs Affected by the Agreement
The deal highlights four drugs: Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, and Orforglipron, collectively known as GLP-1s. These medications have become widely popular and effective treatments for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. However, their high costs — ranging from $1,000 to $1,350 per month — have put them out of reach for many Americans.
Under the new agreement, prices for all four drugs will drop to approximately $350 per month.
### Impact on Medicare
According to the White House, the agreement will benefit Medicare beneficiaries in several ways:
– Medicare prices for Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound will be set at $245, which is less than half of the prices initially proposed by the Biden Administration.
– Medicare beneficiaries will pay a co-pay of just $50 per month.
### The Hidden Reality Behind U.S. Drug Prices
One of the less talked-about facts about drug pricing is that Americans have been subsidizing the cost of pharmaceuticals for other countries. As stated in Trump’s executive order:
> “The United States has less than five percent of the world’s population and yet funds around three quarters of global pharmaceutical profits. This egregious imbalance is orchestrated through a purposeful scheme in which drug manufacturers deeply discount their products to access foreign markets, and subsidize that decrease through enormously high prices in the United States.”
To address this, the executive order supports implementing “most-favored-nation” pricing for prescription drugs in the U.S.
### Big Pharma’s Gains and the Importance of GLP-1 Drugs
Pharmaceutical companies have benefited tremendously from the sales of these new GLP-1 drugs. For instance, Eli Lilly reports that sales of Zepbound have reached approximately $9 billion.
Importantly, these drugs are not just about aesthetics. Obesity often leads to a range of health complications, some potentially life-threatening, making effective treatments essential.
### A Broader Effort to Lower Drug Costs
This recent negotiation appears to be the second major step in a broader campaign to reduce drug prices. The first deal involved Pfizer and AstraZeneca, which agreed to lower prices on various prescriptions for Medicaid recipients.
Medicaid traditionally serves Americans at the lowest economic strata, underscoring the importance of affordable medications for vulnerable populations.
### Additional Resources
The Trump administration has launched a website, **Trumprx.gov**, dedicated to this national effort to lower drug costs. The site does not sell pharmaceuticals directly but acts as a resource to help individuals find the medications they need at the lowest prices available.
### Why Drug Costs Matter
Prescription drug costs are a significant burden, especially for older adults. According to AARP:
> “Most adults 50 and older pay out-of-pocket for prescription drugs, with one-fifth having spent $1,000 or more on prescription drugs in the last year.”
Since prescription medications are often essential—and not optional—the financial strain grows as people age and require more medications.
Should President Trump continue successfully negotiating with pharmaceutical companies, he could be seen as a hero among seniors struggling with exorbitant medicine prices prescribed by their doctors.
https://www.libertynation.com/trump-makes-a-deal-with-big-pharma-to-lower-drug-costs/