Daily London
A pharmaceutical executive standing behind US President Donald Trump collapsed in the White House during an announcement about weight-loss medication.
The man’s legs appeared to suddenly buckle as officials around him attempted to steady his fall and prevent him from hitting his head.
Footage from the drama in the Oval Office on Thursday (Friday AEDT) showed Trump standing from his desk and looking at the man as a White House medical rushed to his aide.
He was later identified as Gordon Finlay, a senior executive with Swiss-based pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk.
White House officials quicky ushered reporters and camera crews from the Oval Office.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: “During the Most Favored Nations Oval Office Announcement, a representative with one of the companies fainted. The White House Medical Unit quickly jumped into action, and the gentleman is okay. The Press Conference will resume shortly.”
The drama came as Trump unveiled a deal with drug companies Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to expand coverage and reduce prices for the popular obesity treatments Zepbound and Wegovy.
Known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, the drugs have soared in popularity in recent years but patient access has been a consistent problem because of their cost – about $US500 ($770) a month for higher doses – and medical insurance coverage has been patchy.
More than 100 million American adults have obesity, according to federal government estimates.
Starting doses of new, pill versions of the treatments also will cost $US149 a month if they are approved.
“(It) will save lives, improve the health of millions and millions of Americans,” said Trump, in an Oval Office announcement in which he referred to GLP-1s as a “fat drug.”
