President Donald Trump’s boast Thursday to have lowered weight-loss drug prices was made possible by former President Joe Biden’s signature piece of legislation, which passed with zero Republican votes.
Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which passed in 2022, requires pharmaceutical companies to negotiate drug prices with Medicare.
But that didn’t stop Trump from claiming credit.
“This will slash the cost of Wegovy from $1,350 a month to ultimately $250 a month,” Trump said. “$1,350 to $250 — did I do a good job?”
“They don’t write about it, you know they like to not write these things,” he added, throwing the press under the bus. “You think Biden could’ve done this? I don’t think so.”
Trump seemed oblivious to the fact that Biden literally did it.
Per Reuters, under the terms of the deal, drug manufacturers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have agreed to sell their smallest, starter doses of their GLP-1-based weight-loss drugs for $149 a month for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees.
During the White House announcement of the deal, a man standing behind the president in the Oval Office appeared to collapse. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that “a representative with one of the companies fainted” but is now OK. She did not identify the man.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) stole the president’s thunder ahead of Thursday’s announcement with one of his own.
“The announcement of a lower price for Ozempic and other anti-obesity drugs is made possible by Medicare negotiation, which Democrats passed with no Republican support,” Wyden noted in a statement.
“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,” he continued.
“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.”