In the Oval Office of the White House, a pharmaceutical executive lost consciousness next to the U.S. president. The person who fainted live on television was Gordon Findlay, the global brand director of Novo Nordisk, one of the key pharmaceutical companies in the new agreement. The collapse occurred while Dave Ricks, president and CEO of Eli Lilly, was speaking. Findlay was standing right behind Trump when he collapsed.
The reaction was immediate, and the event was abruptly interrupted. Government officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and Medicaid Administrator Mehmet Oz, rushed to assist Findlay. After the man lost consciousness, the press was "quickly evacuated." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed the incident: "A representative from one of the companies fainted.
The White House Medical Unit acted swiftly, and the man is doing well." However, no details were provided regarding the reason for the fainting spell. The event, which was "abruptly ended" due to the incident, aimed to announce an agreement with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower the prices of GLP-1 receptor agonists. These treatments, whose popularity has surged, aim to combat both type 2 diabetes and overweight. Trump announced that the initial doses of the new pill versions of these treatments "will cost $149 per month" and that coverage will be extended to Medicare patients starting next year. The high prices of these medications in the U.S. (around $500 monthly for higher doses) have been a constant issue for patients.