Kennedy backs Trump deal with Lilly and Novo Nordisk to expand obesity drug access
Kennedy's support for wider Medicare and Medicaid access to GLP-1 obesity drugs could change who can get them, but prices, eligibility rules and timing have not been disclosed.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed the Trump administration's plan to expand access to obesity medications on Thursday, including for Medicare and Medicaid patients — a shift from his past criticism of the pharmaceutical industry and his movement's opposition to public coverage of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs [1].
Speaking in the Oval Office at a White House event on weight loss drugs, with the chief executives of Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk standing nearby, Kennedy called the plan "a momentous accomplishment" [1].
"This is a tool in the toolkit," he said. "It is not a silver bullet. It is an arrow in our quiver." [1]
The tone was notable. STAT described Kennedy as "uncharacteristically chummy with pharma executives" at the event and noted that he has "railed against drugmakers in the past" [1]. His Make America Healthy Again movement, known as MAHA, has opposed Medicare coverage of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss [1].
The deal involves obesity medicines made by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk and includes Medicare and Medicaid patients [1]. Wegovy, a semaglutide medicine sold by Novo Nordisk, is among the drugs referenced [1].
Not all of Kennedy's followers welcomed the change. STAT reported that the reversal "befuddled" many MAHA faithful and that some now wonder whether the movement has lost its way [1]. The report's subheadline said Kennedy's description of medicines like Wegovy as a welcome "tool" disappointed some MAHA followers [1].
Several practical details have not been disclosed. The announcement did not spell out which patients would qualify, what they would pay, whether conditions such as prior authorization would apply, or when any change in coverage would take effect.
Why it matters for patients
For people taking or considering GLP-1 obesity drugs, cost and coverage are often the deciding factors. The plan Kennedy endorsed is meant to widen access through Medicare and Medicaid, the two public insurance programs named in the announcement [1]. If it is carried out as described, some patients covered by those programs could gain access on terms that have not yet been spelled out [1].
Kennedy framed the medicines as one part of a larger strategy rather than a standalone answer, calling them a tool but not a silver bullet [1]. That framing signals how the administration describes the role of medication alongside other approaches to chronic disease [1].
The politics around the drugs are also unsettled. Kennedy's position reverses a stance that had been a marker of the MAHA movement, and some of his own supporters are now questioning where that movement is headed [1]. Disagreement inside the coalition backing the administration leaves the durability of expanded coverage an open question [1].
The drugs themselves are unchanged by the announcement. What changed is the posture of the country's top health official, who now publicly backs broader availability after opposing public coverage [1].
Sources
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