New FDA priority review vouchers go to Lilly, Novo, Vertex

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday announced the second batch of companies being granted a “Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher,” a ticket to speedier reviews of drug candidates aligned with U.S. priorities. 

The announcement came as the Trump administration unveiled agreements with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to reduce the prices of popular weight loss drugs — part of a broader effort to show its interest in delivering medications to Americans faster, and at cheaper prices, than in the past. 

In return for dropping prices, Novo and Lilly each received a priority review voucher, which guarantees a regulatory decision within one to two months. Those vouchers will be used for an oral version of Novo’s weight loss drug Wegovy, which is already under FDA review, and Lilly’s orforglipron, an oral weight loss drug based on a different molecule than its approved therapy Zepbound.