The TrumpRx website won't slash drug prices - but this will

"US President Donald Trump announced a deal with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on 30 September, aimed at improving the affordability of drugs for people in the country. This is the first concrete step under Trump's 'most-favoured nation' policy, which intends to align US medicine prices to those in other wealthy countries. But it is unlikely to deliver the promised reductions in drug costs, and the knock-on effects could adversely affect public health globally."

"As part of the deal, some of Pfizer's drugs will be offered in the United States through a direct-to-consumer website, referred to as TrumpRx, that is expected to launch in 2026 - cutting out intermediaries and securing lower prices. Yet this probably won't benefit the 92% of people with health insurance, who would be better off receiving medicines through their plans. And those who can't afford insurance probably won't be able to pay for expensive drugs either."

"Claims that the deal will lower prices paid by Medicaid - a government programme providing health insurance to people with limited incomes and resources - have also been met with scepticism, because there is no evidence that it will improve on existing discounts. And from a financial perspective, the deal is not expected to affect pharmaceutical companies substantially. Pfizer's stock price rose by nearly 15% in the five trading days after the announcement."

More than nine million US residents skip prescribed medicines because of cost, and US prices for new drugs can be up to four times higher than in other wealthy countries. The US administration reached an agreement with Pfizer to sell some medicines directly via a TrumpRx website launching in 2026, bypassing intermediaries to secure lower list prices. The initiative is unlikely to assist most insured patients and may still be unaffordable for uninsured individuals; for example, tofacitinib (Xeljanz) would cost about US$3,600 per month even after the discount. Claims of Medicaid savings lack clear evidence, and the deal is not expected to substantially affect pharmaceutical-company finances; Pfizer's stock rose by nearly 15% after the announcement.

Read at Nature