The Trump administration has unveiled TrumpRx, a new initiative aimed at lowering prescription drug costs for Americans, backed by agreements with 16 of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.
Under the deals, pharmaceutical giants, including Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck, and GSK, have agreed to offer “most-favoured nation” pricing on select medicines. In return, the companies receive exemptions from certain US tariffs.
The initiative focuses on medicines supplied through Medicaid and those purchased directly by consumers via the TrumpRx platform. The program was launched on Thursday at the White House, with attendees including CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz and Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia.
Among the most high-profile deals are weight-loss drugs GLP-1, such as Eli Lilly’s Wegovy and Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, with average monthly prices now ranging between $149 and $350. These medications account for more than 10% of the companies’ direct-to-consumer sales.
Other medicines available through the platform include Merck’s diabetes drug Januvia, Sanofi’s Plavix, GSK’s Advair Diskus, Amgen’s Repatha, Gilead’s Epclusa, and select fertility treatments such as EMD Serono’s Gonal-F and Merck’s Cetrotide. Pfizer announced it will offer over 30 medicines at discounted prices through TrumpRx.
TrumpRx does not sell drugs directly. Instead, it redirects users to partner websites where discounted medicines can be purchased, powered by the prescription savings platform GoodRx.
While the White House hailed the program as a significant step toward affordable healthcare, experts caution that the impact may be limited for insured patients, as purchases through TrumpRx do not count toward insurance deductibles.
Deputy director for Medicare policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, Juliette Cubanski, noted that benefits may primarily target those who buy medicines without insurance.
Trump described the launch as a “major step” in reducing drug costs, highlighting the administration’s goal of making prescription medicines more accessible to Americans.
About the Author
