‘Reasons to be skeptical’: Sen. Wyden criticizes Trump administration’s GLP-1 announcement

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Trump administration announced Thursday that it struck deals with two major pharmaceutical manufacturers to make their popular weight loss products more affordable for Americans.

According to administration officials, Novo Nordisk and Lilly have agreed to sell their injectable GLP-1 products at a discounted rate for people on Medicare and Medicaid. The monthly starting price will be $245 for these drugs, known as Wegovy and Zepbound.

Trump’s officials claim to have made the agreement under the administration’s new Most Favored Nation (MFN) policy. However, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said the announcement was actually made possible through Medicare negotiations passed by Democrats.

“Medicare negotiated lower prices weeks ago, and rather than share those prices, Trump is too busy hosting CEOs from Big Pharma at the White House with fake announcements that juice their stock prices,” Wyden said. “It’s also important to keep in mind that one of Robert Kennedy’s first actions in office was to revoke a plan to allow Medicare to cover these drugs. As always, there are many reasons to be skeptical that Trump’s announcement is more smoke and mirrors that won’t result in lower prices for American families, while big corporations pop champagne in the board room.”

But administration officials said the prices they announced Thursday are separate from the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, which put Ozempic up for negotiation earlier this year.

By law, Medicare can only cover GLP-1s that are indicated for heart conditions and cannot cover the versions that are otherwise indicated exclusively for diabetes and obesity.