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Dr. Oz estimated Americans could lose “135 billion pounds” by the midterm elections next year
The head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services later stated the metric as 135 million pounds during an interview with The Hill
Oz’s comments come after the Trump administration reached a deal with two drug manufacturers to decrease the cost of GLP-1 medications for Americans
Dr. Mehmet Oz claimed that Americans could lose billions of pounds by next year.
During a Thursday, Nov. 6, press conference in the Oval Office, Oz — the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — announced that the Trump administration’s new deal to lower the cost of GLP-1 medications could result in massive weight loss for Americans. Oz claimed that the reduced drug costs had the potential to help Americans lose “135 billion pounds” by the midterm elections, which are just under a year away.
“We thought it was 125 million pounds. Mr. President, our estimate — based on the company numbers as well — Americans will lose 135 billion pounds by the midterms,” Oz said, citing data analysis from his staff. “But I don’t measure it in pounds; I measure it in saving lives.”
If Americans were to lose a collective 135 billion pounds, it would mean each American would lose about 393 pounds, as Stephen Colbert later calculated on The Late Show.
Oz seemed to share the billion figure by accident; he stated the estimated metric to be 135 million during an interview with The Hill after the Thursday press conference.
“One hundred and thirty five million pounds dramatically changes the architecture of illness in America,” Oz said, “because probably a quarter of total healthcare bill is related to obesity and its downstream complications.”
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty
Donald Trump at the Oval Office press conference on Nov. 6, 2025.
“If we can be smart about this, we’ll actually use these medications to drop the amount of total healthcare spend that we’ll have to incur,” he continued. “In fact, I’m making a prediction, based on what my great team has told me, which is within two years of the ink drying in that Oval Office, we’ll actually — for the American taxpayer — be saving money.”
Oz noted that GLP-1 medications have been more accessible to “affluent” Americans thus far, but the deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Dordisk — two major manufacturers of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy — is poised to make such medications more affordable for more people.
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Under the deal, the two drug companies agreed to sell GLP-1 injections for a monthly price of $350 when purchased via TrumpRx, a discount platform for purchasing prescription drugs with cash. Those on Medicare and Medicaid will pay $245 a month starting in mid-2026, and oral versions of the drugs — which are not yet available — will be priced at $149 per month.
At present, GLP-1 medications cost between $1,000 to $1,350, with the out of pocket cost varying based on insurance. Novo Nordisk charges $499 a month for all doses of Wegovy, while Eli Lilly offers its lowest dose for $349 and the others at $499.
Read the original article on People