A Trump administration announcement meant to unveil a major deal to lower the cost of weight-loss drugs ended in chaos Thursday when a pharmaceutical executive fainted just feet from the president.
Novo Nordisk executive Gordon Findlay appeared to pass out while Trump officials and other pharmaceutical executives were speaking in the Oval Office. “Donald Trump’s announcement about a deal for weight-loss drugs ended abruptly after a pharmaceutical industry executive fainted and lost consciousness on live TV,” a White House aide said.
President Trump, seated at the Resolute Desk, was joined by pharmaceutical executives and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. when the incident occurred. The health scare forced aides to quickly pull reporters out, scrapping the carefully planned event.
The announcement was set to reveal that popular weight-loss drugs could be sold for $149 via the TrumpRx website, a direct prescription platform the president launched to sell medications, sources told The Washington Post. Both Medicare and Medicaid were also set to cover the cost of the drugs, potentially driving a surge of business to the pharmaceutical companies involved.
The agreement aimed to cover GLP-1 drugs under Medicaid for obesity treatment while requiring Medicare to cover the drugs for obese Americans at risk of other health problems. Wegovy, produced by Novo Nordisk, would be the cheapest at $149 per month via TrumpRx, while Eli Lilly’s Zepbound would cost $299 for the first dose—still $50 less than current direct-to-consumer prices.
Currently, list prices for these drugs range from $1,000 to $1,350 per month, though companies often offer discounts to insurers and patients. If approved by the FDA, Eli Lilly’s new weight-loss pill, orforglipron, would also be sold for $149. Ozempic, another Novo Nordisk drug, could be offered on TrumpRx, though it is already covered by Medicare and Medicaid for many patients.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also unveiled a plan aimed at drastically reducing drug prices, saying the FDA is taking “bold, decisive action” to make biosimilar medicines—lower-cost alternatives to biological drugs—more affordable.
RFK Jr., however, has faced criticism, along with Trump, for issuing medical advice that critics say isn’t scientifically grounded, including repeated claims that Tylenol causes autism in children, particularly when taken during pregnancy.
Watch the clip below:
Medical emergency in the White House as someone collapses pic.twitter.com/ZoUc6hVkwr
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 6, 2025
