Gordon Findlay Novo Nordisk executive collapses during White House roll out of cheaper obesity drugs as company declines to comment on incident.
Maybe the drugs don’t work after all…? A guest at the Oval Office collapsed at a press event Thursday afternoon — in the presence of President Donald Trump and pharmacy executives including Dr. Mehmet Oz, who rushed to his aid.
The incident which was caught on camera, came amid a White House initiative at lowering the cost of obesity drugs before the attendee appeared visibly in distress.
BREAKING🏥 : Novo Nordisk Executive Gordon Findlay collapsed in the Oval Office.
At the same time, HHS secretary RFK Jr. immediately left the office, and Trump seems like posing for the camera.
Cowardice, lack of empathy and fear is the trademark of this administration. pic.twitter.com/facsBQX1sf
— Mario (@PawlowskiMario) November 6, 2025
White House attendees spring to action as pharma exec collapses
‘Are you OK? Gordon, you OK?’ asked Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks as the man began to fall over.
‘Press out!’ officials shouted as Trump rose from his seat at the Resolute Desk and Oz rushed to help as video feeds were cut.
As the man was helped to the floor, Oz, Trump’s administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, bent over to check on him.
The identity of the man was not immediately revealed, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said he was a representative of one of the drug companies and was now doing “okay” after a fainting spell.
‘The White House Medical Unit quickly jumped into action, and the gentleman is okay,’ she said.
Upon resumption of the press event, Trump said the attendee got a ‘little bit lightheaded.’
Speculation as to what may have caused Novo Nordisk executive to pass out
While officials had yet to identify the attendee who feinted (and why…?), online speculation alluded to the individual as Gordon Findlay, the global brand director at Novo Nordisk, which makes weight loss drugs, Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy.
Since 2023, Gordon Findlay has been the Global Brand Director for Novo Nordisk, based in Basel, Switzerland.
According to his LinkedIn account, he led global recovery for Norditropin following a severe supply crisis and handles other marketing efforts including new Product Planning, strategic marketing and global marketing.
He has a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Kent.
Obesity as leading cause of preventable death and health issues in the US
The company told the nypost that CEO Mike Doustdar and Dave Moore, EVP, US Operations, were the only two Novo Nordisk reps on hand. But did the company get it wrong? Or were they simply looking to deflect attention?
‘We hope the gentleman who suffered a medical incident today is okay,’ the company said in a vague statement.
Obesity is a leading cause of preventable death and a major contributor to numerous health issues, second only to tobacco use in the United States. It is associated with a significantly increased risk for serious conditions like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and several types of cancer.
Novo Nordisk to date has declined to say what may have caused their executive to collapse during Thursday’s press event.
