Donald Trump appeared stunned when a man fainted behind him during a White House announcement about weight-loss drug prices being slashed.
Thursday’s press conference, held in the Oval Office, was abruptly paused for medical staff to intervene after the man collapsed near Trump’s desk as CEO of Eli Lily, David Ricks, spoke.
Reporters were swiftly escorted out of the room as medical personnel intervened and Trump looked over at the man.
Highlights
- Donald Trump was visibly stunned when a man fainted behind him during a press conference on weight loss drug price cuts.
- The man who fainted was a guest of Eli Lilly and his collapse was reportedly due to heat and standing too long in the Oval Office.
- The press conference announced a landmark deal lowering prices on GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.
The press conference was announcing weight loss drug prices being cut
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said the man “represented one of the companies” involved in the deal to reduce the cost of the popular GLP-1 weight-loss medications.
"The White House Medical Unit quickly jumped into action, and the gentleman is okay," she said in a statement.
When the briefing resumed, Trump told reporters the man was fine and that medical care had been provided.
“You saw he went down. And he’s fine. They just sent him out,” Trump said.
“He’s got doctors’ care. But he’s fine.”
Ricks later said that the man was a guest of Eli Lilly and was now doing great, attributing his collapse to the heat in the Oval Office and standing for a long time.
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
"If you've ever been in the Oval Office, you stand a long time and it's warm,” Ricks said.
“I'm pleased to say that the White House medical staff did a great job, and he's doing great, so nothing to be concerned about. Thanks for your concern.”
The deal Trump was announcing at the press conference involved Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, two of the world’s largest producers of GLP-1 weight-loss medications.
The agreement, described by administration officials as a “landmark price cut,” is aimed at making drugs such as Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro more affordable for millions of Americans struggling with obesity and related conditions.
Under the terms outlined by the White House, both companies agreed to sharply reduce the retail cost of their injectable GLP-1 medications.
Those products will be on sale through Trump RX, which is a new administration website that will sell prescription drugs to Americans for discounted prices. Trump RX has not yet been launched and is expected to be active next year.
Image credits: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images
The prices of Ozempic and Wegovy will fall from $1,000 and $1,350 per month, respectively, to $350, while Zepbound and Orforglipron, if approved, will drop from $1,086 per month to an average of $346.
If the FDA approves the Wegovy pill, or similar drugs that can be taken orally, then the initial dose of those drugs will be priced at $150 per month through Trump Rx.
Officials said that the lower prices will enable Medicare to cover Wegovy and Zepbound for patients with obesity and related comorbidities for the first time.
Medicare beneficiaries will pay a co-pay of just $50 per month.
As well as slashing the price of weight loss drugs, the agreement also provides reduced costs on other Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk medicines such as the migraine treatment Emgality, the diabetes medicine Trulicity, and insulin products, including NovoLog and Tresiba.
White House officials said the arrangement was designed to broaden access while encouraging manufacturers to continue domestic production of the medications.