Oct 16 (Reuters) - Germany's Merck KGaA on

Thursday said it had struck a deal with U.S. President Donald

Trump that would cut the cost of some drugs needed for an

in-vitro fertilization treatment cycle.

The German drugmaker said its U.S. arm, EMD Serono, had

agreed to sell its fertility treatments, including Gonal-f,

Ovidrel and Cetrotide, directly to consumers at significantly

reduced prices in exchange for tariff relief.

Merck said it had made a deal with the U.S. Commerce

Department to exclude its drugs from industry-specific tariffs,

if those are introduced, provided the company invests in U.S.

manufacturing and research.

When all three therapies are used in an IVF cycle, patients

will access an 84% discount off list prices, the company said.

The discounted drugs will be available in early 2026 through

TrumpRX, a website the administration plans to launch to help

consumers buy some medicines directly from the manufacturers,

the company said.

Trump in February signed an executive order directing the

government to expand access to IVF and reduce the costs of the

popular fertility treatment.

IVF involves combining eggs and sperm in a laboratory dish

to create an embryo for couples having difficulty conceiving.

The costs for IVF can range from $12,000 to $25,000 per cycle

and multiple cycles may be needed to get pregnant.

Merck KGaA is one of the world's largest manufacturers of

fertility treatments. Its most popular treatment, Gonal-f,

generated $973 million in sales last year.

The company also said it planned to seek U.S. approval for

its fertility drug Pergoveris under the FDA Commissioner's

National Priority Voucher, a new program intended to shorten

review times to one to two months from the typical timeline of

about 10-12 months.

The New York Times reported earlier on Thursday that the

White House will issue guidance on what it is calling an

employer benefit option to encourage employers to offer IVF and

broader infertility coverage directly to workers, citing one

White House official familiar with the matter.

By offering infertility coverage separately from the major

medical insurance package, the White House expected more small

businesses to be able to provide the benefit, the report said,

citing the official.

The White House will not be providing any subsidies for

employers that offer the coverage, and there will be no mandate

that they participate, NYT added.

Specific instructions for employers will be posted on the

Labor Department's website immediately after the announcement,

the report said.