Trump announces efforts to expand access to IVF drugs
U.S. President Donald Trump makes remarks before signing an executive order expanding access to in vitro fertilization treatment at his Mar-a-Lago facility in Palm Beach, Florida, on February 18, 2025.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced two new efforts to expand the availability of in vitro fertilization treatment, his administration’s first concrete step on the expensive and politically fraught procedure.
Trump shot to agree With EMD Serono, a subsidiary of Germany Merck KGaA has offered to lower the price of some of the company’s fertility drugs in exchange for exemptions from planned tariffs on drugs imported into the United States, which Trump has not yet implemented.
The Trump administration will also issue guidance encouraging employers to offer fertility benefits directly to their employees, which would work similarly to vision or dental insurance. This will allow employers to offer additional coverage at a fixed cost for patients and employers. But it’s unclear how much this effort would increase coverage because it doesn’t mandate employer participation.
At a press conference on Thursday, Trump said the moves would lead to “much more beautiful American children.”
“We will significantly reduce the cost of IVF, treatment, and many of the most common fertility drugs for countless millions of Americans,” Trump said. “Prices are falling very, very much.”
EMD Serono, the world’s largest maker of fertility drugs, said it would sell in vitro fertilization treatments directly to patients and that people could purchase the drugs through Trump’s direct-to-consumer purchasing site, TrumpRx.gov. This site will open in January 2026.
The drugs include Gonal-f, a critical drug used in the shot protocol required for egg stimulation.
The plan comes as Trump is trying to rein in prescription drug costs in the United States and is signing deals. Pfizer And AstraZeneca A campaign aimed at making it easier for Americans to access certain drugs has been launched in recent weeks.
Millions of babies have been born through in vitro fertilization, which involves combining eggs and sperm in a laboratory to create an embryo for couples having difficulty getting pregnant. The decades-old procedure is an issue the President has repeatedly promised to address on the campaign trail. looking for yourself “The father of IVF” last fall.
Procedure: usually not fully covered by insurance – if so – and it may cost Approximately $20,000 or more per cycle. Only a quarter of companies More than 200 employees currently cover IVF. Some studies It showed that an IVF cycle in the US is 271% more expensive than the average of 25 other countries.
Trump issued an executive order on in vitro fertilization shortly after the president took office, promising to lower costs and make the procedure more accessible. However, this order did not contain any details other than the promise that a detailed report with recommendations on the issue would be published by the end of May. That report was not published.
The procedure became a flashpoint in the nationwide conflict over abortion and reproductive rights in early 2024. Alabama Supreme Court He said the frozen embryos were children and those who destroyed them could be held responsible for wrongful death. In some cases, embryos may be discarded during in vitro fertilization treatment.
Trump quickly moved away from that decision last year. Call to the Alabama Legislature To protect access to IVF.
Americans generally support the procedure. One April 2024 survey A survey from the Pew Research Center found that seven in 10 U.S. adults say IVF access is a good thing, with small differences across most demographic and partisan groups.
