WASHINGTON (AP) — In a significant move for families seeking help with infertility, drugmaker EMD Serono will reduce the price of its common fertility medication following a deal with the Trump administration. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday the introduction of new federal guidance meant to encourage employers to provide fertility coverage.
The newly established guidelines will permit businesses to offer fertility benefits separately from major medical insurance plans, similar to how dental and vision plans are managed. This effort marks the administration's response to Trump's earlier commitment to decrease the costs associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF), a procedure designed to assist individuals experiencing infertility.
While Trump highlighted this initiative as a substantial step, it does not completely align with his previous campaign promise to make IVF treatment free. This announcement represents the third agreement the administration has secured with pharmaceutical companies in recent weeks to lower drug prices.
Among the drugs significantly impacted is EMD Serono’s Gonal-f, frequently utilized during IVF treatments, which involve hormone administration to trigger ovulation and facilitate egg retrieval. The costs of such medications can escalate rapidly, often amounting to thousands of dollars for just one IVF cycle, with many patients needing multiple rounds to achieve pregnancy.
As part of the initiative, patients will be able to purchase Gonal-f at a discounted rate via TrumpRx, a government platform facilitating direct purchases from manufacturers. Furthermore, the Food and Drug Administration will collaborate with EMD Serono to accelerate the approval process for another fertility drug, Pergoveris, which is currently available in Europe.
Trump's announcement follows his earlier executive order in February aimed at making IVF more affordable. During his previous campaign, he promised to ensure that all IVF-related costs would be covered by insurance. We want more babies, to put it nicely, he said while explaining these changes.
This commitment comes amid heightened scrutiny after the recent Supreme Court rulings that overturned Roe v. Wade, which led to numerous GOP-led states proposing restrictions that could affect access to IVF treatments by classifying life as beginning at conception.
Industry experts are cautiously optimistic about the changes. Roger Shedlin, CEO of fertility benefits company WIN, stated that addressing the costs of medications would significantly enhance the overall affordability of IVF cycles. Corinn O'Brien, a Birmingham, Alabama resident who underwent IVF, remarked that any reduction in costs would be transformative for families trying to conceive.
O’Brien, who successfully gave birth to her daughter after three rounds of IVF, highlighted that medication expenses alone ranged from $1,000 to $5,000 per cycle. She believes that comprehensive insurance coverage for IVF would be a game changer for many families and expressed gratitude for any progress made towards reducing drug costs.
“This is often the only chance many have to grow their families,” she added, stressing the importance of employer-supported fertility services.
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Swenson reported from New York; Ungar contributed from Louisville, Kentucky.
