Trump rolls out his latest deal with a drugmaker. This one stems from his campaign promise to cover all IVF costs.

By Victor Reklaitis

Administration officials also say they're making it easier for employers to offer fertility benefits

President Donald Trump greets Libby Horne, a senior vice president at EMD Serono, as they make an announcement Thursday in the Oval Office.

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a deal with EMD Serono, a subsidiary of German drugmaker Merck KGaA (XE:MRK) (MKKGY), that aims to cut the out-of-pocket costs for in vitro fertilization, with the move coming more than a year after his campaign promise to eliminate all such costs for the expensive fertility treatment.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said "after extensive negotiations, EMD Serono, the largest fertility drug manufacturer in the world, has agreed to provide massive discounts to all fertility drugs they sell in the United States, including the most popular drug of all, the IVF drug Gonal-f."

Senior administration officials told reporters that the cost of drugs for a standard IVF cycle would drop between 42% and 79%, and those drugs will be available early next year on TrumpRx.gov, the White House's new direct-to-consumer website.

Officials also estimated that the overall cost of IVF treatment could be cut by about $2,200 per cycle, as two dominant specialty pharmacies run by CVS Health Corp. (CVS) and Cigna Group (CI) subsidiary Express Scripts have agreed to concessions.

In addition, officials said the administration was taking steps Thursday to make it easier for employers to offer fertility benefits to their workers, saying there will be a new benefit option. Only four in 10 employers offer fertility benefits, and just three in 10 offer IVF benefits, according to the officials.

When asked what EMD Serono is getting for making a deal, the senior administration officials said the company is getting a priority review voucher from the Food and Drug Administration for a fertility drug that company leaders want to bring to the U.S. market.

EMD Serono also said in a news release that it has entered an agreement with Trump administration officials to exclude its pharmaceutical products and ingredients from key tariffs, provided that the company invests in future manufacturing and research in the U.S.

Trump's latest deal with a drug company comes after he announced an agreement with AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) (UK:AZN) last week and a pact with Pfizer Inc. (PFE) two weeks ago. Each of those companies agreed to sell drugs at lower prices on TrumpRx.

In August 2024 with the White House race in full swing, Trump said in a speech that "your government will pay for - or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for - all costs associated with IVF treatment." That promise came as Democrats had criticized Trump over challenges faced by IVF doctors and patients in the wake of the 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that established a constitutional right to an abortion.

The proposal to eliminate all out-of-pocket costs for IVF quickly drew skepticism last year, with one veteran analyst saying it would be dead on arrival in Congress.

In February, Trump issued an executive order calling for a report within 90 days on protecting IVF access and lowering costs for IVF treatment.

-Victor Reklaitis

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10-16-25 1657ET