Trump Strikes Landmark Deal To Slash Obesity Drug Prices, A U-Turn That Could Upend Global Pharma, Including India

<p>In a move reverberating across global healthcare and financial markets, Donald Trump has announced a deal to cap insulin prices at $25 per month and slash the cost of GLP-1 obesity drugs, calling it a &ldquo;victory for ordinary Americans over Big Pharma.&rdquo;</p>
<p>According to the New York Times, Trump said his campaign had reached a &ldquo;tentative understanding&rdquo; with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to voluntarily reduce prices if he returns to office. The proposal, he claimed, would make insulin &ldquo;cheaper than a gym membership&rdquo; and ensure drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro become affordable for &ldquo;every working family.&rdquo;</p>
<p>CNN corroborated that the Trump campaign described the deal as &ldquo;a patriotic pact to make lifesaving medicine affordable,&rdquo; though both companies declined to confirm specifics. &ldquo;Certain blockbuster obesity drugs will be available for as little as $149 per month and more Medicare enrollees will have access to them under two deals announced Thursday by the Trump administration,&rdquo; says the CNN report.&nbsp;</p>
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”>
<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>🇺🇸 President Trump announces another HISTORIC PRICE SLASH on top drugs that help Americans struggling with diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and more.<br /><br />💉Ozempic: $1,000 &rarr; $350/mo via TrumpRx<br />💉Wegovy: $1,350 &rarr; $350/mo<br /><br />MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN! <a href=”https://t.co/9lezvtZ6q0″>pic.twitter.com/9lezvtZ6q0</a></p>
&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href=”https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1986517540500115548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>November 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<h2>The Current Pricing Vs Projected Scenario</h2>
<p>CNN reports cites senior administration officials as saying that under the deal that Trump has declared, those buying injectable GLP-1 medications directly from the companies will pay an average of $350 per month to start, though the drug-makers have committed to reducing the price to around $250 over the next two years. If oral GLP-1 tablets are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, the lowest dose will cost $149.</p>
<p>These prices will be available when TrumpRx, the administration&rsquo;s direct-to-consumer website, launches in early 2026.</p>
<p>Novo Nordisk currently offers a direct-to-consumer option for those willing to pay cash for Ozempic and Wegovy, at $499 a month. Lilly also offers cash-pay options for its weight-loss drug Zepbound that start at $349 a month.</p>
<h2>A Reversal of Trump&rsquo;s Earlier Policy</h2>
<p>This announcement marks a sharp reversal from Trump&rsquo;s previous position. As the New York Times had earlier in its report in April this year, noted, Trump&rsquo;s administration had rejected the Biden plan to expand Medicare coverage for obesity drugs, arguing it was &ldquo;not appropriate at this time.&rdquo; That decision prevented millions of Americans from accessing coverage for Wegovy and Zepbound through Medicare and Medicaid.</p>
<p>&ldquo;This is a populist U-turn, an election-year recalibration that could shake the global drug industry,&rdquo; said Dr Matthew Harper, a health-policy economist quoted in the NYT report.</p>
<h2>Analysts Split on Voluntarism vs Pressure</h2>
<p>While Trump&rsquo;s team calls the new pricing framework voluntary, experts told CNN and Reuters that political and consumer pressure left manufacturers with little choice. Reuters reported that Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk shares dipped over 3 per cent after the announcement, reflecting market unease over possible future mandates.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Public outrage over the cost of insulin and GLP-1 weight-loss drugs has made reform unavoidable,&rdquo; said Dr Tanya Reeves, a global health economist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in CNN&rsquo;s coverage.</p>
<p>The injectable semaglutide is not only effective in controlling blood sugar but also reduces the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and chronic kidney disease, making it a comprehensive therapy for patients managing long-term metabolic health issues.</p>
<p>In September this year, the <a href=”https://www.who.int/news/item/05-09-2025-who-updates-list-of-essential-medicines-to-include-key-cancer–diabetes-treatments” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>World Health Organisation (WHO)</a> released updated editions of its Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc), adding new treatments for various types of cancer and for diabetes with associated comorbidities such as obesity.</p>
<p>This move by the WHO of adding semaglutide to its 2025 Essential Medicines List (EML) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults with obesity or cardiovascular or chronic kidney disease is considered a landmark one.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The inclusion of semaglutide and other GLP-1 drugs is intended to help make these crucial treatments more accessible and affordable globally, especially as generic options become available. The list specifically targets individuals with these comorbidities, not obesity alone.</p>
<h2>Global Ripple: Implications for India</h2>
<p>India, home to over 77 million adults with diabetes, could feel indirect effects if global insulin pricing resets. According to a <a href=”https://news.abplive.com/health/lancet-study-on-obesity-india-will-be-among-top-3-countries-by-2050-women-worst-hit-1755399″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Lancet study</a> published on World Obesity Day in March this year, more than half of all adults and a third of children, teenagers, and young adults around the world are predicted to be overweight or obese by 2050. India is set to be among the top three countries most affected by this growing crisis, with women and younger populations disproportionately bearing the burden.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Experts such as Dr Anup Misra, Chairman of Fortis C-DOC, whose past comments in several Indian national dailies and WHO briefings on insulin access, highlight how US price movements influence emerging markets through procurement benchmarks and supply chains. &ldquo;Any large-scale insulin price cut in the US echoes globally,&rdquo; Dr Misra has previously noted. &ldquo;India&rsquo;s private insulin sector is highly integrated with multinational suppliers.&rdquo;</p>
<p>If Trump&rsquo;s proposal solidifies, health economists believe it could empower India&rsquo;s National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to seek deeper cuts and expand access to GLP-1 drugs that remain unaffordable for most Indian patients.</p>
<h2>Markets and the Global Context</h2>
<p>Reports from noted global newspapers such as the Financial Times and AP News indicate that the Trump administration plans to launch TrumpRx.gov, a portal directing Americans to manufacturer websites for discounted direct purchases.</p>
<p>European regulators are also reviewing chronic-disease drug pricing. WHO&rsquo;s Global Insulin Access Framework may gain renewed traction as countries push for greater transparency.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Trump&rsquo;s proposal may be politically timed, but its echo will be global,&rdquo; said Dr Reeves. &ldquo;The message is clear, affordable access to chronic care drugs is now a mainstream demand.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>The Road Ahead</h2>
<p>While details of implementation remain unclear, experts caution that true affordability will depend on supply-chain stability, insurance coverage, and international regulatory harmonisation. Still, Trump&rsquo;s volte-face has already altered the narrative: obesity is no longer just a lifestyle issue, it&rsquo;s an economic and political battleground.</p>