News Brief: Trump Announces Deals to Cut Weight Loss Drug Prices
Summary
President Donald Trump announced landmark agreements with pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to significantly reduce the prices of their GLP-1 obesity and diabetes drugs, including upcoming pills. The deals will lower costs for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries starting in 2026 and offer discounted prices directly to consumers via a new government website, TrumpRx.gov. This marks a major policy shift, including the first-ever Medicare coverage for obesity drugs for some patients.
Key Points
- Price Reductions: Significant price cuts on GLP-1 drugs (e.g., Wegovy, Zepbound).
- Starting doses of new obesity pills will be $149/month for Medicare, Medicaid, and TrumpRx users.
- Starting doses of existing injections on TrumpRx start at $350/month, trending down to $245/month over two years.
- Many patients previously paid over $1,000/month.
- Medicare Coverage: For the first time, Medicare will cover obesity drugs for some patients starting mid-2026.
- Eligible patients will pay a copay of $50/month.
- Coverage is initially for a pilot program under Medicare Part D.
- New Platform: The TrumpRx.gov website will launch in January 2026, offering drugs directly to consumers at discounted prices.
- Eligibility: Medicare coverage will target patients who will benefit clinically, categorized into three cohorts based on BMI and related health conditions (e.g., cardiovascular disease, prediabetes).
- Broader Context: These deals are part of the Trump administration’s “most favored nation” policy to lower U.S. drug costs by tying them to the lowest prices abroad.
新闻简报：特朗普宣布协议以降低减肥药价格
总结
特朗普总统宣布与制药公司礼来和诺和诺德达成具有里程碑意义的协议，大幅降低其GLP-1肥胖症和糖尿病药物（包括即将推出的药片）的价格。这些交易将从2026年开始为医疗保险和医疗补助受益人降低成本，并通过一个新的政府网站TrumpRx.gov直接向消费者提供折扣价格。这标志着一项重大的政策转变，包括联邦医疗保险首次为部分患者承保肥胖症药物。
关键点
- 价格降低：GLP-1药物（如Wegovy、Zepbound）大幅降价。
- 对于医疗保险、医疗补助和TrumpRx用户，新型肥胖症药片的起始剂量价格为149美元/月。
- TrumpRx上现有注射剂的起始剂量价格为350美元/月，在两年内将逐渐降至245美元/月。
- 许多患者此前每月需支付超过1000美元。
- 医疗保险覆盖：从2026年中期开始，联邦医疗保险将首次为部分患者承保肥胖症药物。
- 符合条件的患者每月自付额将为50美元。
- 初始覆盖通过医疗保险D部分的一个试点项目进行。
- 新平台：网站TrumpRx.gov将于2026年1月启动，以折扣价直接向消费者提供药物。
- 资格：医疗保险覆盖将针对能从临床获益的患者，根据BMI及相关健康状况（如心血管疾病、糖尿病前期）分为三类人群。
- 更广泛背景：这些协议是特朗普政府”最惠国”政策的一部分，旨在通过将美国药价与国外最低价格挂钩来降低成本。
Original Article Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/06/trump-eli-lilly-novo-nordisk-deal-obesity-drug-prices.html