On April 9, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at delaying Medicare negotiations for many prescription drugs, which advocates warn could lead to price increases. The order directs Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to work on extending the exemption period for small-molecule drugs from nine years to an additional four years. Critics argue this move capitulates to pharmaceutical lobbyists and undermines recent efforts to lower drug prices, marking a setback in the attempt to empower Medicare to negotiate prices and counteract Big Pharma's pricing strategies.
One policy advocate described the move as "a total capitulation to the demands of drug corporation lobbyists."
Steve Knievel, a drug policy advocate, warned that delaying Medicare drug price negotiation would lead to higher prices for patients and taxpayers.
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