Donald Trump has unveiled a new service, TrumpRx, which offers discounted prices on medications, including popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.
Launched on Thursday (February 5), TrumpRx is not an online pharmacy itself but serves as a platform directing people to drug manufacturers’ direct-to-consumer websites or providing them with coupons for use at pharmacies.
According to RAND, nearly 12 percent of Americans have used GLP-1 drugs. These include injectables like Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and WeGovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound.
TrumpRx also features Nordisk’s newly approved WeGovy pill.
GLP-1 drugs function by mimicking the glucagon-like peptide 1 hormone, which aids in blood sugar and appetite regulation, ultimately helping individuals feel fuller longer and lose weight.
While Ozempic has FDA approval for diabetes management, other drugs like WeGovy, Zepbound, and Mounjaro are approved specifically for weight loss.
This raises the question of whether TrumpRx genuinely provides cost-effective options or not.
TrumpRx markets itself as offering the ‘world’s lowest prices on prescription drugs,’ though the validity of these claims remains uncertain.
Users can visit TrumpRx.gov to browse through a selection of over 40 drugs, including fertility medications, and choose the ones they need.
This process redirects them to the manufacturer’s direct-to-consumer website, where they can pay cash, submit a prescription, and make a purchase directly.
Insurance is not utilized in this process, and purchases do not contribute to deductibles or out-of-pocket limits.
In exchange for tariff relief and expedited FDA reviews for new drugs, pharmaceutical companies such as Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and EMD Serono made pricing agreements with Trump last year.
“The launch of TrumpRx will further extend patients’ reach to Ozempic and Wegovy, including the newly approved Wegovy pill,” stated Novo via the Financial Times.
However, CNBC highlights that the savings for those with medical insurance when purchasing through TrumpRx are still unclear.
This initiative might be beneficial for uninsured individuals, but the exact savings depend on specific insurance plans.
For example, under an agreement with the Trump administration, the price of Nordisk’s Ozempic for diabetes through TrumpRx is set at $350 a month, a significant reduction from its standard $1,000 price.
Nonetheless, Georgetown’s Medicare Policy Initiative notes that this is more than what private insurers and government programs pay after rebates and discounts.
As CNBC reports, the price of Wegovy injections for obesity starts at approximately $199 per month through TrumpRx, compared to the usual $1,350.
The daily Wegovy pill is available for $149 per month for starting doses, while the monthly Zepbound injection is offered at $299, reduced from $1,086.
Juliette Cubanski, deputy director of the program on Medicare Policy at KFF, told CNBC that the private sector has ‘got insurers and pharmacy benefit managers negotiating lower prices and designing an insurance benefit that enables people to benefit from those price negotiations.’
“My guess is that for most drugs, at least most brand-name medications, people are likely to get a better deal using their insurance rather than purchasing a drug through a direct-to-consumer website,” she added.
Nevertheless, it appears that pharmaceutical executives are supportive of making their medications more accessible through TrumpRx.