Pharmaceutical executive collapses as Trump announces drug price reductions

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A new agreement designed to reduce the cost of specific weight-loss medications has been announced by the US president.

During an announcement in the Oval Office on Thursday regarding a new agreement for weight-loss drugs by US President Donald Trump’s administration, a pharmaceutical industry representative collapsed.

The individual, positioned behind President Trump at the event, suddenly appeared to have his knees give way. Media reports initially identified him as Gordon Finlay, an executive from Novo Nordisk, a company known for manufacturing Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy. However, Novo Nordisk subsequently stated that the individual was not Finlay.

Jacqui Heinrich, a Fox News reporter who observed the event directly, stated that Dr. Mehmet Oz, who heads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, helped the executive as he fell, making sure he avoided hitting his head. After journalists were asked to leave the Oval Office, cabinet members continued to assist the man, elevating his legs.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt subsequently confirmed that “the gentleman is okay”.

Earlier, during the Oval Office event, President Trump declared that the costs of weight-loss medications such as Ozempic would be “much lower”. The press briefing included executives from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, another pharmaceutical company, both of whom collaborated with the administration on an initiative to make GLP-1 weight-loss medications more accessible.

Pharmaceutical companies plan to expand availability of widely used obesity treatments, including Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound, via TrumpRx, a new government online platform set to launch next year. Oral forms could be priced starting at $149 per month following FDA approval. Injectable GLP-1 medications will be available to Medicare and Medicaid patients at $245 monthly when prescribed for approved conditions like diabetes.