WASHINGTON
A senior pharmaceutical executive collapsed in the Oval Office on Thursday, abruptly halting President Donald Trump’s highly publicized announcement on a new price deal for weight loss drugs.
The incident occurred about 45 minutes into the press conference when Gordon Findlay, an executive with Novo Nordisk, appeared to faint as other company heads stood beside the president.
Eyewitnesses said Findlay began to wobble moments after Dave Ricks, CEO of Eli Lilly and Company, took to the podium to announce the firm’s “investment in America.”
“Are you okay, Gordon?” Ricks was heard asking before the executive fell to the ground. Several men standing nearby rushed to support him before he hit the floor.
President Trump immediately stood up from his seat to check on the situation as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt ordered the media to leave the room.
“Press out,” Leavitt instructed, as the White House Medical Unit moved in to offer assistance.
In a brief statement issued moments later, Leavitt confirmed that a representative from one of the participating companies had fainted but was “okay” after receiving immediate medical attention.
The conference resumed about 40 minutes later at 1:30 p.m. after the executive had been stabilized.
The event had brought together leading drug manufacturers to unveil a new federal partnership aimed at expanding access to weight loss medication under the administration’s “TrumpRx” initiative.
Earlier, Trump had announced major price cuts, saying his plan would reduce the cost of weight loss drugs from over $1,000 to $149 per month.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also spoke at the briefing, describing the policy as part of the administration’s wider effort to “Make America Healthy Again.”
Officials did not disclose what caused Findlay’s collapse, though witnesses described it as a sudden and unexpected episode.
Deputy Medicare and Medicaid Services Director Chris Klomp had just concluded his remarks before the incident, saying: “Americans cannot reach our full potential as individuals if we are not healthy.”
The press conference, initially intended to showcase cooperation between the White House and pharmaceutical giants, instead turned dramatic, briefly shifting attention from Trump’s healthcare message to the health scare in the Oval Office.
