The pharmaceutical companies behind the biggest weight-loss drugs shook up their lobbying operations during the first six months of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Last week, the companies appeared to get a sign that their strategy is working, with reports that the administration is considering covering weight-loss medication under Medicaid and Medicare.
Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic and Wegovy, and Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro and Zepbound formerly known as Eli Lilly, have added firms close to the administration since Trump took office in January.
Both Novo Nordisk and Lilly hired a team of lobbyists at Checkmate Government Relations, whose managing partner, Ches McDowell, has been cashing in on his long friendship with the president’s son.
Checkmate disclosed lobbying the Department of Health and Human Services for both Novo Nordisk, which paid the firm $90,000 during the second quarter to lobby on “issues related to anti-obesity medications, drug pricing, and pharmaceutical supply chain,” and Lilly, which paid the firm $120,000 to lobby on “healthcare and trade” issues during the second quarter.
Another new firm hired by Novo Nordisk in June, Ballard Partners, billed $40,000 for one month of lobbying HHS, which includes the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, on “guidance regarding pharmaceutical regulations.”
Several Trump administration officials, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Attorney General Pam Bondi, used to lobby for Ballard, and the firm’s founder, Brian Ballard, is seen as having an inside track to make big asks for clients. It’s paid off: Ballard Partners raked in $20 million during the second quarter, more than any other federal lobbying firm and up from $4.3 million during the same period in 2024.
Checkmate registered its first federal lobbying client two days after the 2024 election and has seen its Lobbying Disclosure Act revenue explode from $910,000 during the first quarter to more than $4.4 million during the second quarter, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan nonprofit that tracks the flow of money in politics.
A Lilly spokesperson told NOTUS in an emailed statement that the company is “dedicated to ensuring that all patients, regardless of their insurance provider, can access evidence-based obesity care.”
“Obesity is a chronic disease, and treatments deserve comprehensive care and coverage, just like other chronic diseases. Gaps in insurance coverage disrupt effective care and limit access to safe, evidence-based obesity management medications,” the spokesperson wrote. “Lilly believes access should be guided by clinical evidence, not insurance design.
The CMS, Ballard and Checkmate did not respond to requests for comment. Novo Nordisk declined to comment.
Ballard and Checkmate are not the only hired guns lobbying the Trump administration on weight-loss drugs.
Novo Nordisk has significantly upped its federal lobbying spending on a range of issues in recent years, spending a record $3.8 million during the first six months of 2025, according to OpenSecrets. The Nickles Group and Tarplin, Downs & Young both disclosed lobbying HHS on weight-loss treatments on behalf of Novo Nordisk, and several teams at other firms, including two former members of Congress, disclosed lobbying Congress on related issues.
Lilly, which lobbied on a far wider range of issues, has spent more than $6.3 million on federal lobbying through the same period. Tarplin, Downs & Young also disclosed lobbying CMS on “Medicare & Medicaid payment and coverage issues” broadly on behalf of Lilly, although specific disclosure of the drugmaker’s lobbying on weight-loss drug coverage was focused on Congress, which has repeatedly introduced legislation that would expand Medicare restrictions barring weight-loss treatment coverage.
Neither The Nickles Group nor Tarplin, Downs & Young responded to requests for comment.
The administration’s proposed plan, first reported by The Washington Post, could make it more affordable for millions of Americans to access expensive brand-name medication. It’s also a reversal from this spring, when the Trump administration reportedly scrapped plans made in the waning days of former President Joe Biden’s administration to expand coverage of weight-loss drugs.