Tipsheet

'Biggest Thing to Ever Happen on Healthcare' Trump Touts After Slashing Drug Prices

President Donald Trump announced on Friday that his administration had brokered a deal to reduce prescription drug costs for Americans.

President Trump hailed the move as “the great victory for patient affordability in the history of American healthcare by far,” and “the biggest thing to ever happen on drug pricing and on healthcare.”

Nine major pharmaceutical manufacturers have signed onto the agreement, which aims “to lower prescription drug prices for Americans in line with the lowest prices paid by other developed nations (known as the most-favored-nation, or MFN, price),” according to the White House statement.

The deal offers deep discounts on drugs that treat chronic illnesses, including diabetes, arthritis, asthma, and certain cancers.

HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. touted the agreement in a White House conference, with even his Democrat son claiming that “this is the best achievement that could happen to our country." We were paying for all of the innovation in this country and the rest of the world was free riding on it,” said Kennedy.

He continued, "I'm very grateful to all the CEOs who saw the sense in this, who understood the injustice and the unsustainable system, and who put public health, and particularly the public health of Americans, ahead of some of their other priorities. All of them came to the table.”

This is just the latest deal in the TrumpRx initiative to lower drug prices for American consumers. Since signing his “Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients” executive order in May, 14 of the 17 largest drug manufacturers globally have reached agreements to provide Americans rock-bottom pricing.

Additionally, an HHS agreement with the United Kingdom that “will increase the net price of new prescription drugs by 25% in the U.K., helping ensure they pay their fair share for innovative medicines,” according to the White House.

President Trump signaled that more is in store, as pharma giant Johnson & Johnson is expected to reach an agreement with the Trump administration soon.