Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Drug maker EMD Serono will lower the cost of a generic fertility drug through a deal with President Trump’s administration. donald trump Unveiling new federal guidance Thursday, he said it would encourage employers to offer fertility coverage.
The new guidance, Trump said, would allow companies to offer fertility benefits separately from major medical insurance plans, just as they do with dental and vision plans.
Oval Office The announcement offers the first glimpse of how Trump plans to follow through on his executive order from earlier this year, which aims to reduce the cost of in vitro fertilization, a medical procedure that helps people facing infertility create their own families. But this is far less than what he promised as a candidate IVF Treatment free. This is the third agreement the administration has reached with drug companies to reduce drug prices in recent weeks.
EMD Serono’s Gonal-F is one of several drugs often used by patients undergoing IVF treatment – which involves using hormones to trigger ovulation, producing multiple eggs that are fertilized or frozen from the ovaries. Medications can be expensive, often costing patients thousands of dollars for a single IVF cycle. Many patients trying to get pregnant through IVF go through more than one cycle.
Trump said the drug will be available at a discount on the government website TrumpRx, where patients will be able to purchase the drugs directly from manufacturers.
Trump said the Food and Drug Administration would also work with EMD Serono to expedite approval of one of its available fertility drugs. EuropeWhich is called pergovaris.
Thursday’s announcement comes after Trump issued an executive order in February promising to make IVF more affordable. During his campaign last year, Trump promised that if elected, he would make IVF treatment free.
“Under the Trump administration, your government will pay all costs associated with IVF treatment – or your insurance company will be mandated to pay,” she said at an event. michigan“Because we want more kids, to put it nicely.”
The pledge came in the wake of mounting pressure after his Supreme Court nominees helped overturn abortion rights in Roe v. Wade, which kicked off a GOP-led effort to impose new restrictions in states, including some that have jeopardized access to IVF by trying to define life at the time of conception.
Roger Shedlin, CEO of fertility and family-building benefits company WIN, expressed enthusiasm on Wednesday, calling it a “step in the right direction.”
“Any initiative addressing the cost of medicines will have a positive impact on the overall cost of the reproductive cycle,” he said.
Corinne O’Brien, 39, of Birmingham, Alabama, said anything to reduce the cost of IVF would be “huge for families.”
O’Brien said she underwent three rounds of IVF and gave birth to a daughter in June. Each time, the drugs will cost approximately $1,000 to $5,000.
She said covering the entire IVF cycle “would ultimately be a game changer for families,” but helping with the cost of medications “is progress and very much appreciated.”
O’Brien said it would be great if more employers covered reproductive services because, for many people, “it’s their only chance to expand their family.”
,
Swenson reported from New York. Unger reported from Louisville, Kentucky.