Emergency Team Rushes Podium During Trump’s Live Announcement
A dramatic scene unfolded in the Oval Office on Thursday as President Donald Trump prepared to announce what he described as a landmark agreement to drive down the soaring cost of popular weight-loss drugs — only for the event to end abruptly when a government official suddenly collapsed during the remarks.
The announcement, which featured top pharmaceutical executives alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was intended to showcase what Trump called a decisive blow against pharmaceutical middlemen and price-gouging drug companies. As the president was outlining the new initiative, an aide fell unconscious near the Resolute Desk, prompting staff to rush forward and cutting the briefing short as reporters were quickly escorted from the room.
Before the disruption, Trump detailed what he called a “historic deal for American consumers,” centered on making GLP-1 weight-loss drugs — including Wegovy and Zepbound — available at drastically reduced prices through his new direct-to-consumer platform, TrumpRX. The online pharmacy will allow patients to bypass traditional pharmacy benefit managers, which Trump slammed as part of a system that has “kept drug prices sky-high for decades.”
Under the deal, Wegovy will be priced at $149 a month through TrumpRX, with Eli Lilly’s Zepbound starting at $299, undercutting its normal consumer rate. Currently, these medications often cost between $1,000 and $1,350 per month depending on insurance.
Sources cited by The Washington Post say the agreement also includes expanded coverage under Medicare and Medicaid. Medicaid would fund GLP-1 medications for obesity treatment, while Medicare would cover them for patients facing serious health risks — a move that could benefit millions dealing with obesity and related chronic conditions.
Trump also signaled that Eli Lilly’s pending oral drug orforglipron may be added to the platform at the same $149 price point if approved by the FDA. Ozempic may follow once regulatory and cost negotiations conclude.
“This is about fairness, it’s about freedom, and it’s about ending the corruption that’s kept drug prices sky-high for decades,” Trump said. “We are cutting out the middlemen, lowering the costs, and giving the power back to the American people.”
The initiative builds on earlier Trump administration pricing deals with Pfizer and AstraZeneca, both of which have agreed to list select medications through TrumpRX in the coming weeks.
Health Secretary RFK Jr. also highlighted new efforts at HHS to accelerate approval of biosimilar alternatives to expensive brand-name drugs, saying the FDA is “taking bold, decisive action” to expand access to low-cost treatments for conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders.
However, the rollout drew predictable pushback. Corporate media outlets and Democratic strategists seized on past statements from both Trump and Kennedy to argue that the administration is blending aggressive reform with what they call unconventional views about medical safety — a narrative critics hope will undercut public confidence in the initiative.
In reality, the announcement signals a major moment in Trump’s ongoing effort to realign the healthcare system away from entrenched pharmaceutical interests and toward consumer-focused models. And despite the sudden medical emergency that halted the press event, the message was unmistakable:
The administration is taking on Big Pharma — and winning.