President Trump has announced a new deal with EMD Serono, Merck’s healthcare division in the U.S. and Canada (Merck KGaA), to reduce the cost of fertility medicines in exchange for relief from potential tariffs.
The deal matches Trump’s campaign promise to make IVF more affordable and accessible in the United States.
As part of the deal, Merck will provide its full range of IVF therapies through the president’s direct-to-consumer platform, TrumpRX, and increase manufacturing in the U.S.
Speaking from a press conference in the White House, Trump stated that the most widely used fertility drug, Gonal-f, is currently “700% more expensive in the United States than in the rest of the world.”
“Most couples with fertility challenges are paying these costs entirely out of their own pockets, which is not really possible to do. The result will be healthier pregnancies, healthier babies and many more beautiful American children,” he said.
In return, the company will not pay the tariffs affecting the pharmaceutical industry, and its EMD Serono unit will obtain a priority review voucher for the Pergoveris fertility drug, which is still awaiting approval in the U.S.
Following the announcement, Belén Garijo, Chair of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck told investors, “We have a strong presence in the U.S. across all three of our business sectors, with a significant number of our employees based in this key market and look forward to growing our footprint here even further with future fertility manufacturing. We are committed to working with the U.S. administration to add value over the long term, ensuring that our patients and customers continue to have access to and benefit from the innovations within our portfolio.”
Danny Bar-Zohar, CEO Healthcare and Member of the Executive Board of Merck stated, “As a result of our collaboration with President Trump and his Administration, more families across the United States can now access and benefit from IVF innovation, and hopefully fulfill their dream of starting or expanding their family. Gonal-f is the most prescribed follicle stimulating hormone in the U.S., and our full portfolio of IVF therapies has supported over 6 million successful births worldwide. Looking forward, we will continue to address complex fertility issues for patients in the U.S. with the FDA filing of Pergoveris, through the FDA Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program.”
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
