Washington: US President Donald Trump announced a sweeping agreement with nine major pharmaceutical companies to reduce prescription drug prices for American patients, calling it one of the biggest healthcare affordability moves in the country’s history. The announcement came during a White House press conference where Trump also revealed a new government-backed online platform called TrumpRx.gov.
The initiative aims to lower medicine costs by linking US prices to those paid in other developed nations, a policy approach known as most favored nation pricing. The move targets both uninsured Americans and state Medicaid programmes struggling with high pharmaceutical spending.
The new agreements were signed with Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Merck, Novartis, and Sanofi.
With these additions, the administration has now reached pricing agreements with 14 of the world’s 17 largest drugmakers. Under the deal, companies committed to offering certain medicines to Medicaid at prices equal to or lower than those charged in other wealthy countries. Officials estimate the move could save billions of dollars annually for state and federal health programmes.
A key feature of the announcement was the launch of TrumpRx.gov, expected to go live in January 2026. The platform will not sell drugs directly. Instead, it will guide consumers to manufacturer-backed discount programmes and direct purchase options designed to reduce out of pocket costs.
“Starting next year, American drug prices will come down fast and furious and will soon be the lowest in the developed world,” Trump said during the press briefing.
The platform is positioned as an option especially for uninsured patients or those facing high deductibles.
The agreements include price reductions for drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV, hepatitis B and C, and several cancers.
According to examples shared by officials, Amgen’s cholesterol drug Repatha could be available for around $239 per month, while GSK’s Advair Diskus inhaler may drop to roughly $89 per month through the new pricing structure. Some high cost drugs, such as hepatitis C treatments, will still remain expensive, with prices running into thousands of dollars per month.
In exchange for lowering prices, participating drugmakers will receive a three year exemption from proposed tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals. Trump described the approach as fair but firm.
“They had a choice,” he said. “Lower prices or face consequences.”
The president also signaled that health insurance companies would be the next target. “They have to make less, a lot less,” Trump said, indicating future talks aimed at reducing premiums and patient costs.
(Rh/ARC)
