
White House, Pfizer Reach Agreement on Drug Discounts; Trump Announces TrumpRx
Key Takeaways
- The Most Favored Nation (MFN) executive order aims to align US drug prices with those in other wealthy nations, involving a deal with Pfizer and a new website, TrumpRx.
- Pfizer's agreement includes a 3-year grace period to avoid tariffs on drugs manufactured outside the US, with significant discounts on select medications.
The Trump administration advances the Most Favored Nation order by partnering with Pfizer, which came to the table voluntarily and has been granted a reprieve from upcoming drug tariffs.
Months after
According to Pfizer, this voluntary agreement is in response to the
Among the drugs that will be available on TrumpRx at reduced prices are:
- Crisaborole (Eucrisa) for atopic dermatitis at an 80% discount
- Zavegepant (Zavzpret) for migraine attacks at a 50% discount
- Tofacitinib (Xeljanz) for the inflammatory conditions rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and ulcerative colitis at a 40% discount
Part of the agreement with the administration provides Pfizer with a 3-year grace period to avoid facing
“By working closely with the Administration, we are lowering costs for patients and enabling greater investment in the U.S. biopharmaceutical ecosystem by ending the days when American families alone carried the global burden of paying for innovation,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla
Most Favored Nation Order Implementation
The
- Extend the MFN pricing to all Medicaid patients
- Agree not to offer lower prices for new drugs to other developed nations
- Provide an avenue to sell medicines directly to patients
- Use trade policy to support manufacturers in raising prices internationally
“In case after case, our citizens pay massively higher prices than other nations pay for the same exact pill, from the same factory, effectively subsidizing socialism aboard [abroad] with skyrocketing prices at home,”
However, MFN faces significant legal and procedural hurdles. A
During a
“I think this is the administration saying to itself, ‘What's the worst imaginable thing I think I can do within the bounds of my authority, to the industry, to get them to the table so that they will announce and change some behaviors?’” he said. “You’re trying to solve a problem that is very, very tricky…with a blunt instrument…”
Other challenges of implementing MFN in the US can be seen by countries in Europe that have already succeeded. Ali Pashazadeh, MRCS, MBA, founder, chairman, and CEO, Treehill Partners, pointed to a “brain drain” of scientists that had left the UK for countries with better pricing, and Switzerland’s fall from grace as a center hub of biotech innovation.
“I understand the logic of doing it,” he said. “I understand the desire to get drugs to patients at a price parity which is comparable to other countries. All of that is absolutely logical. …the question is how it's implemented, and also the timing of implementation.”
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