EMD Serono will offer IVF therapies at 84 percent discount to U.S. Patients.
President Donald Trump makes an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House on Oct. 16, 2025. Andrew Caballer-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
The cost of fertility treatments for U.S. patients is expected to decrease significantly based on a trade deal announced by President Donald Trump.
EMD Serono has agreed to offer all of its fertility drugs at Most Favored Nation pricing, which will yield discounts between 42 percent and 79 percent for U.S. patients.
Additionally, employers are now able to offer a fertility benefit separate from their employer-provided health coverage, a move intended to yield lower costs and broader coverage.
Trump announced the deal from the White House, flanked by Libby Horne, senior vice president of fertility at EMD Serono, and senior administration officials.
“American couples struggling with infertility have faced crushing costs in their quest to start a family,” Trump said in announcing the deal. “The actions I will outline this afternoon will dramatically slash the cost of IVF treatment and many of the most common fertility drugs.”
The announcement follows recent agreements to honor Most Favored Nation pricing with Pfizer, Amgen, and AstraZeneca.
Discounted drugs from the four companies will be available to people through TrumpRx.gov, a prescription drug clearinghouse planned for early 2026, according to the White House.
About one in 10 women aged 15 to 44 has received fertility treatments, according to Gallup. Of those, 2 percent have undergone IVF.
Beyond that, about one in three families doesn’t have the number of babies they would like to have, according to Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Patients undergoing IVF often require multiple cycles in order to conceive. The cost per cycle ranges between $20,000 and $30,000, of which medication accounts for $5,000 to $6,000, according to a senior administration official.
Further, just 30 percent of families have employer-based coverage for IVF, and most pay cash for the treatment.
“The per-cycle cost of drugs used in IVF will fall by an estimated 73 percent for American consumers,” Trump said.
Trump credited Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) for bringing the subject, which became a 2024 campaign promise, to his attention.
“Millions of Americans are going to have a greater opportunity to bring the greatest gift, in my opinion—life—into this world,” Britt said in response.
Horne said, “Our science was instrumental in the birth of the first IVF baby in the U.S., and we’ve helped to bring more than 6 million babies into the world since then.”
She added that her company is seeking approval for a new IVF treatment that mimics reproductive physiology.
“This therapeutic option could mean fewer injections, fewer co-pays, and lower self-pay cost, all of which make a real difference in the IVF patient experience,” Horne said.
To expand access to IVF and other fertility treatments, the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services will issue guidance allowing fertility coverage to be offered as an “excepted benefit,” separate from a major medical insurance plan.
Employers can make their own determination on whether to offer fertility benefits coverage and how much the employer will contribute toward it.
The employer would then accept bids on fertility benefits from companies specializing in fertility treatments. Once a provider is selected, employees can decide whether to opt into the coverage, as they might for other optional benefits such as dental or eye coverage.
Also, because the fertility benefit is separate from the major health plan, patients who have a Health Savings Account are able to use those tax-free funds to pay for fertility treatments without first satisfying a deductible.
The option is expected to also improve patient care because fertility benefit companies report a 25 percent higher birth rate, improved natural pregnancy rates, and a 21 percent reduction in miscarriages, according to the White House.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, said increasing the rate of childbirth also has national security implications.
Noting that the fertility rate in the United States is 1.6 percent, Kennedy said: “The amount of fertility that you need in order to keep your population even is 2.1 percent. We are below replacement right now—that is a national security threat to our country.”
Employers are free to begin offering fertility coverage as an expected benefit immediately, the White House said.
Lawrence Wilson covers politics for The Epoch Times.