The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) Congratulates President Trump, HHS Secretary Kennedy, Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly on a Historic Deal to Fight Obesity in America

The Black community should not be forgotten

The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of 150,000 African American and Latino faith communities, comprising 27.7 million members, and it
congratulates President Trump, HHS Secretary Kennedy, Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly on their historic deal to fight obesity in America. NBCI is a leader in obesity prevention. We have been fighting this debilitating condition for over thirty years. This is one of the reasons why we wrote the report The National Black Health Agenda that cites obesity as a foundational risk factor for other major diseases.

Rev. Anthony Evans, President of the National Black Church Initiative, says, “This deal is a game-changer when it comes to Black health. If you solve the obesity question, it will have a major impact on the three leading killers of African Americans—diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. This will make a major dent in health disparities.”

At the White House two weeks ago, President Trump announced a deal that will be “a triumph for American patients that will save lives and improve the health of millions and millions of Americans.” With HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and executives from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk on hand, the President called the deal a “win-win.” In this historic agreement, the companies have pledged to offer their popular obesity and Type 2 diabetes drugs Wegovy and Zepbound to Medicare and Medicaid programs for $245 a month, down from up to $1,350 a month currently. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have also agreed to sell these drugs at reduced prices on the new, direct-to-consumer government website TrumpRx. On the TrumpRx marketplace, consumers who either don’t have or choose to not use health insurance can purchase prescription drugs at reduced cost from list prices.

Medicare and Medicaid already cover the companies’ drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for Type 2 diabetes, but under the deal they will also be covered for some patients who are overweight and/or obese.

Dr. James McCoy, co-chair of The American Clinical Health Disparities Commission, said, “This type of deal can significantly help us address health disparities for decades to come if it includes us and the National Clinical Trial Strategic Plan (NCTSP) run by the National Black Church Initiative, as noted in its report to Congress, The National Black Health Agenda.”

There are some restrictions, however, according to senior officials who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity before the White House announcement. The medicines will only be covered if patients have:
 a body mass index over 27 and established prediabetes or cardiovascular disease; 
 a body mass index over 30 and uncontrolled hypertension, kidney disease, or heart
failure; or 
 a body mass index over 35.

“This is not about losing weight,” a senior administration official said during the briefing call. “It is about making America healthier. This is about preventing a stroke. This is about preventing heart attacks and disease [and] about preventing end-stage renal disease.” “Reducing the cost and leveraging the scale of Medicare and Medicaid to boost access to game-changing weight loss drugs is a transformative step in the battle against chronic disease and obesity” said Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association.

Like previous deals with Pfizer and AstraZeneca, the agreements with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly include lower prices in Medicaid, a pledge to launch new drugs in the U.S. at prices on par with those for other developed countries, and discounted drugs for patients paying for them without insurance, the latter of which will be available through TrumpRx.gov.

ABOUT  NBCI
 The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of 150,000 African American and Latino churches, comprising 27.7 million members, working to eradicate racial disparities in healthcare, technology, education, housing, and the environment.

NBCI’s mission is to provide critical wellness information to all of its members, congregants, churches, and the public. The National Black Church Initiative’s methodology utilizes faith and sound health science. We also offer our member congregants and the public helpful, science-based tips on developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Anthony Evans
National Black Church Initiative
+1 202-744-0184

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