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(Reuters) -Several pharmaceutical companies have said they will sell drugs direct to patients in the U.S. and offered discounts following President Donald Trump's calls to bring down drug prices and cut out "middlemen" like pharmacies, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers. The Trump administration announced in September plans to launch a government-run website called TrumpRx.gov in early 2026, offering reduced prices for prescription drugs. U.S. patients currently pay by far the most for prescription medicines, often nearly three times more than in other developed nations. Trump sent letters to 17 major companies in July demanding they slash U.S. prescription drug prices. Below is an overview of pharmaceutical companies that recently announced direct-to-consumer sales and price cuts in the U.S., in alphabetical order: ASTRA ZENECA AstraZeneca and the Trump administration signed a deal on October 10 under which it would sell some medicines at a discount to the government's Medicaid plan in exchange for three years of tariff relief. The deal also envisages up to 80% discounts on some of AstraZeneca's drugs to be sold through the TrumpRx website, CEO Pascal Soriot said at the Oval Office. BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB Bristol-Myers Squibb will cut prices to eligible U.S. patients for blood clot treatment Eliquis and plaque psoriasis drug Sotyktu, with the latter being offered at a more than 80% discount to the list price, it said in September. ELI LILLY  Eli Lilly said in June it would ship the two highest doses of its popular weight-loss drug Zepbound to cash-paying customers on its website starting early August. MERCK Trump and Merck KGaA said on October 16 they had struck a deal under which the German company would sell its fertility treatments, including Gonal-f, Ovidrel and Cetrotide, directly to consumers with a combined discount of 84% off list price if three of them were used in IVF. Trump also said Merck would offer all new drugs launched in the U.S. at the prices it charges in other developed countries. NOVO NORDISK  Novo Nordisk said in August it would offer its diabetes drug Ozempic for $499 per month to eligible cash-paying patients with type 2 diabetes in the U.S. via its own pharmacy, a tie-up with telehealth service GoodRx and other platforms. It had announced in April that it was working with telehealth firms Hims & Hers, Ro and LifeMD to sell Wegovy to cash-paying U.S. customers. PFIZER Pfizer and Trump said in October they had cut a deal in which the U.S.-based drugmaker agreed to lower prescription drug prices in the Medicaid programme to what it charges in other developed countries, in exchange for tariff relief. Pfizer will invest $70 billion in research and development and domestic manufacturing and received a three-year grace period during which its products will not be subject to U.S. tariffs on pharmaceuticals, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said. PhRMA U.S. pharmaceutical lobby group PhRMA said in September it would launch a new website, AmericasMedicines.com, next January to help patients buy prescription drugs directly from manufacturers. ROCHE Roche is considering selling its prescription medicines in the U.S. directly to consumers to bring costs down for patients, as part of talks with the U.S. government, CEO Thomas Schinecker said in July. The model could appeal not only to the uninsured or under-insured, but also to insured patients comparing the cost of accessing drugs through insurers with cash prices, an industry source told Reuters.  SANOFI  French drugmaker Sanofi said in September it would offer a month's supply of any of its insulin products for $35 to all patients in the U.S. with a valid prescription, regardless of insurance status. WISP Women's telehealth provider Wisp said in September it expanded its weight-care offerings to include sale and doorstep delivery of Novo Nordisk's and Eli Lilly's popular drugs without the need for insurance.  It priced Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro at $598, $558, and $489 per month, respectively, with the cost also including consultation, monthly follow-ups, and direct-to-door delivery. ZEALAND PHARMA  Zealand Pharma is considering a direct-to-patient sales model as well as traditional insurer channels for the experimental weight-loss drug it is developing with Roche, its CEO told Reuters in September. (Compiled by Javi West Larrañaga and Emanuele Berro, Editing by Helen Reid and Milla Nissi-Prussak)

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By Gianluca Lo Nostro and Elvira Pollina (Reuters) -A 17 billion euro ($19.72 billion) joint bid by Bouygues Telecom, Iliad-owned Free and Orange for most of the assets of France's second-largest telecoms operator SFR could prove an acid test for Europe's telecoms market. SFR parent Altice rejected the non-binding offer, which would see the number of French operators drop to three, but the bidders want talks with its shareholders, which include billionaire Patrick Drahi, to try to get a deal done. However, regulators have long drawn a red line to maintain four operators per country, resisting pressure for consolidation to match more dominant U.S. and Asian competitors.   WHAT IS AT STAKE WITH THE BID? EU antitrust regulators have imposed tough remedies and outright blocks on telecoms deals that proposed reducing the number of mobile network operators from four to three in a single country market, with a view to safeguarding competition and avoiding price increases. However, an EU report on the bloc's competitiveness last year urged regulators to ease a stance that had resulted in a highly fragmented sector, and instead focus on helping businesses gain scale and compete with U.S. and Chinese rivals. This echoed some calls by sector CEOs for the EU to facilitate mergers by assessing deals on an regional rather national level and taking into account investment plans. WHO WOULD REVIEW ANY SFR DEAL? Acquiring Altice's French assets would likely face a review by the European Commission, which has 25 working days after a deal is filed for a first-stage review.  It may extend 35 working days, to consider either proposed remedies or a member state's request to handle the case. Most mergers win approval but occasionally the Commission opens a detailed second-stage investigation for up to 90 additional working days, which it may extend to 105 days. The Commission would likely focus on preserving competition across several key segments of the French telecom market and ensure infrastructure remains accessible to new entrants, ING analyst Jan Frederik Slijkerman said. Should a deal be agreed, it will reveal any changes in thinking at the anti-trust authorities, Berenberg analysts said. WHAT DOES THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT SAY? Paris will play a key role in the event of a deal as the French government is Orange's largest investor. As a board member, its influence can extend to talks, which could focus on job protection and the national interest. Finance minister Roland Lescure said he will be "extremely vigilant", particularly on prices and service quality.   HOW IS THE FRENCH TELECOMS SECTOR CURRENTLY MADE UP? France currently has four telecoms operators, with Orange is the market leader. This means it would only be able only to acquire the smallest share of SFR, which has 19 million mobile subscribers and more than 6 million fibre customers. The French market has undergone many transformations, with Orange itself being acquired by France Telecom in 2000. In 2014, Vivendi sold SFR to Drahi's Numericable for 13.4 billion euros in cash and a 20% stake in the combined entity, forming Altice France, which is now itself a target. Altice closed a debt restructuring this month which has left Drahi controlling 55% of Altice France and creditors 45%. Meanwhile Bouygues Telecom, which is seeking the biggest slice of Altice's business, has expanded through its acquisition of La Poste Telecom, adding 2.3 million customers in 2024. Iliad entered the French market in 2012 under its budget brand Free, prompting stiff price competition. The three carriers have proposed acquiring most of SFR's activities, except for its stakes in fibre assets and those in French overseas departments and regions. (Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro and Elvira Pollina. Editing by Anousha Sakoui and Alexander Smith)

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(Reuters) -Ford is recalling nearly 625,000 vehicles in the U.S. due to seatbelt and rear-view camera display problems, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Friday. The seatbelt recall affects 332,778 Ford Mustang vehicles, while the camera display issue recall covers 291,901 F-250, F-350 and F-450 super duty trucks, according to NHTSA notices. The U.S. auto regulator said that Ford dealers will update the image processing module software at no cost to owners for the units being recalled to remedy the camera display defect. For the units facing issues with seatbelts, vehicle dealers will check the seatbelt parts and make replacements if needed, and also remove nearby carpet sections that touch the cables, NHTSA said. (Reporting by Rhea Rose Abraham in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

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COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Novo Nordisk's shares fell 5.6% in early trade on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the price of the Danish drugmaker's best-selling weight-loss drug would be lowered. Trump made the comments during a White House event on fertility treatments and drug pricing. He was asked by reporters to identify the name of a drug that he earlier in the event said would be made less expensive. "I was referring to Ozempic, or – I was referring to – the fat loss drug?…. They'll be much lower," Trump said. Although Novo's Ozempic is approved for diabetes treatment, it shares the same active ingredient as the group's blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy. In the U.S., Ozempic has been frequently used off-label for obesity and often serves as a generic reference to weight-loss drugs. At 0736 GMT, Novo Nordisk shares were down 5.6%, while shares of its peers Eli Lilly and Zealand Pharma also fell by around 4%. Asked for comment, a Novo spokesperson said on Thursday: "Novo Nordisk has engaged in discussions with the Administration regarding the Most Favored Nation executive order." The spokesperson added the company was focused on improving patient access and affordability, but did not comment directly on Trump's remarks. (Reporting by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Terje Solsvik)

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