How Eli Lilly’s Leader Won Trump’s Favor

Corporate CEOs trying to figure out how to get on President Donald Trump’s good side need look no further. David Ricks, CEO of the Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly, is putting on a masterclass.

Trump demonstrated his affection on Friday when he — not for the first time — praised the company executive.

“The head of Eli Lilly, and I really mean it, an unbelievable executive, an unbelievable guy, one of the most successful companies,” Trump said during remarks about his “Great Healthcare Plan.”

For his part, over Trump’s second term, Ricks, who took Eli Lilly’s helm in 2017, has used everything from flattery to concrete concessions to win over the president — even as Trump’sadministration targets the pharmaceutical industry. At the same time, Ricks has kept a steady eye on his company’s own interests and bottom line.

Eli Lilly’s heartland roots, $500,000 contribution to Trump’s inauguration fund, promises to build more facilities in America and prominent role in Trump’s most-favored-nation deal for weight loss drugs have helped Ricks become one of Trump’s favored pharmaceutical executives. The weight-loss drugs have an especially high profile with the American public, providing Trump with just the kind of marketing boost he seeks in touting the deals.

The Indianapolis-based firm was among the first drugmakers to meet with Trump after his reelection in December 2024 — Ricks joined Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and Steve Ubl, the CEO of the brand name drug industry group PhRMA, in Mar-a-Lago to dine with Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Ricks appeared at the White House in November when his firm signed a most-favored-nation deal for its weight-loss drugs. That deal will see the Danish drugmaker, Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly offer their weight-loss drugs at a discount for certain Medicare and Medicaid patients.

“I want to thank Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks, a friend of mine,” Trump said at the time. “We’ve worked long and hard. He and I got this whole thing started in a way.”

Ricks “really went out of his way to be the Trump guy,” said one pharmaceutical industry lobbyist granted anonymity to discuss the effort by Ricks to ingratiate himself with Trump.

“Trump really does like to associate with super successful rich dudes to try and get a success-by-association ... He does talk about Ricks in a very weird, almost worshipful way,” the lobbyist said.

As part of its most-favored nation deal with the Trump administration — which includes an exemption from tariffs in exchange for drug price discounts and an expansion of its American manufacturing — Eli Lilly received a Commissioner's National Priority Voucher from the Food and Drug Administration for its oral obesity drug Orforglipron. That voucher is intended to speed FDA’s review of the drug’s application to one to two months upon a final application.

Ricks recently said at J.P. Morgan’s biopharmaceutical conference that he expects a rapid review of the pill, according to a BioPharma Dive report. The product, if approved, could challenge Novo Nordisk’s recently approved weight-loss pill Wegovy for market share in the burgeoning market. (The national priority voucher program has been the subject of controversy. Former FDA drug center leaders George Tidmarsh and Rick Pazdur have raised concerns that it politicized drug reviews. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has championed it.)

But even Ricks’ months-long effort to ingratiate Eli Lilly with the president has not dissuaded Trump from pushing Congress to codify his most-favored-nation agreements in law — which could cement the deals’ beyond Trump’s presidency and provide drugmakers with less flexibility to change the terms of the confidential arrangements.

Eli Lilly spokesperson Jared Shapiro said legislation codifying the agreements “is not necessary,” when asked about the relationship between Trump and Ricks, but did not comment on their rapport.

“The Administration already successfully negotiated unique voluntary agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers including Lilly,” Shapiro said. “Our agreement with the Administration increases affordability and access to our obesity medicines while promoting biopharmaceutical innovation.”