In a move he had been preparing communicatively for months – in fact using quite inaccurate or even completely false information, but also personal attacks as for example against the president of France – the president of , announced the creation of an online platform – a tool that is supposed to help American citizens have access to prescriptions at low prices.
The aim is to limit the cost of living
The goal, according to what he mentioned at a relevant presentation event of the TrumpRx platform, is to limit the overall cost of health care and in general to deal with the cost of living crisis, while as he noted in his characteristic style, Americans “will save a fortune”.
The effectiveness of the platform, as well as the range of preparations it covers, are in fact at the center of attention in the public dialogue on the matter, while special interest is given to the agreements the government has concluded with various pharmaceutical companies.
TrumpRx dispenses deals, not drugs
According to what was announced, the platform will not operate as an online store selling medicines, oper means that . Instead, offers will be “uploaded” on the platform and interested parties will be able to get a “coupon” to go to the store that has the offer and get the medicine they want at a reduced price.
In addition, the platform can refer to store websites through which users will be able to proceed normally in the purchase of drugs with reduced prices. The insured (it also addresses the uninsured, which in the US are quite a lot), will have even lower prices, while generics will also be particularly promoted at even lower prices.
The announcements show that the platform launched with more than 40 drugs, including specialized weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
Trump’s drug policy is challenging
Once again, Trump attributed the lower prices displayed on the platform to the pressure he exerted on the pharmaceutical companies, claiming that he demanded that the charges in the US be aligned with those of other countries (in the America First logic, of course). He added that this could lead to price increases for prescription drugs in foreign markets, arguing that “the US is tired of subsidizing the rest of the world.” Included in this rhetoric are the attacks he has fired in the past on Emmanuel Macron and other leaders and which had brought the French president’s reaction online. Trump had gone so far as to imitate Macron’s accent and portray him as agreeing to raise drug prices in France and Europe under the threat of supposedly imposing tariffs on wines and champagnes.
The previous agreements
The president had foreshadowed TrumpRx as early as September, when he announced the first of more than 15 deals with pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices in the US to match the lowest price offered in other developed countries. It said in December that the platform would offer “huge discounts to all consumers,” though it remains unclear whether the prices on the companies’ websites will be systematically better than what many policyholders already get through their plans.
Reports say the administration has struck deals with big drugmakers — such as Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Merck — that have agreed to lower prices, but little has been known about those deals beyond some announcements on the White House website about old and new prices for some drugs.
Is the platform achieving its goal or is it fireworks?
In this context, the interest of analysts and drug policy experts is focused on whether these announcements will actually translate into savings and cost reduction for large segments of the population as President Trump intends.
For example, there are not a few who were quick to point out that the prices presented on the first 43 drugs that appear on the TrumpRx website, the prices are the same as the prices already offered by existing platforms and databases.
In their article, the Los Angeles Times notes as an example the formulation of Pfizer’s Dauvee, which is for menopause, and on Trump’s platform it is sold for $30.30, which is the same as on all other corresponding platforms such as GoodRx. Accordingly, they note that regarding Wegovy, which was on offer on Trump’s platform at $199, the manufacturing company already has it at the same reduced price on its own website.
What impact does it have on the drug market?
Regardless of the above, both the platform and the Trump administration’s deals with pharmaceuticals are raising concerns about the impact they will have on the market, but also on corporate profitability, with Novo Nordisk warning of a near 13% drop in sales and profits by 2026 due to Trump’s drug policy, as well as increased competition. Other market players point out that company executives report that there is relative concern in the industry regarding this platform and the sales outlook for the year.
Opacity and potential conflict of interest
Based on the above, however, Donald Trump has come under fire from the Democrats since there are not a few of those senators and congressmen who are asking for the agreements made by Trump with the companies to be made public and at the same time implying that the president’s initiative may be confronting him with a conflict of interest given the relationship of Donald Trump Jr.’s son with a competing platform, BlinkRx.
