President Donald Trump launched the TrumpRx website this week, opening a new program for discounted pharmaceuticals in the U.S. This comes as high prices for medications have put strain on Americans in recent years.
“President Trump is delivering on promises to ensure American patients no longer pay high prices to subsidize low prices in the rest of the world, something the political establishment did not believe was possible,” said the White House in a Friday announcement.
According to the announcement, patients will “be able to access large discounts on many of the most popular and highest-priced medicines in the country,” through the new website. It also said the prices will be “in line with the lowest paid by other developed nations (known as the most-favored-nation, or MFN, price).”
TrumpRx prices are only available to “cash-paying recipients,” at this time. Going forward, the Trump administration may push for insurance coverage, STAT said.
As of this week, the site includes drugs made by five companies: AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Novo Nordisk, and Pfizer. Those were the first five manufacturers to reach MFN pricing deals with the Trump Administration, the White House explained.
In a press release, Pfizer said that it’s program on TrumpRx “provides Americans a wide range of more than 30 medicines at a significant discount off list prices.”
“For far too long, Americans have shouldered a disproportionate share of the global cost of innovation to help develop breakthroughs for the entire world,” said Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer. “As the first pharmaceutical company to support President Trump in addressing this imbalance, we’re proud to continue to work with the administration in ensuring affordability for American patients, while preserving America’s position at the forefront of medical innovation.”
Patients with valid prescriptions can use the TrumpRx site to access savings through user-friendly coupons that can be printed or downloaded onto their phones. They can also access channels set up by the manufacturer that are integrated into TrumpRx.gov. STAT noted that TrumpRx does not sell the medications itself.
Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound, drugs that have become popular in the U.S. to treat obesity and diabetes, are some of the medications through TrumpRx.
“The monthly prices of Ozempic and injectable Wegovy will fall from $1,028 and $1,349, respectively, to an average price of $350 and as low as $199, depending on dosage strength,” said the White House. “The monthly price of the Wegovy pill will fall from $1,349 to as low as $149, depending on dosage strength,” while Zepbound will go from $1,088 to an average price of $346 and as low as $299, depending on dosage strength.
Previously, the medication savings platform GoodRx announced a program with Novo Nordisk – the company behind Ozempic and Wegovy – to offer the drugs at nearly half price.
GoodRx said in a Thursday press release that it is also “a core integration partner for TrumpRx, powering the pricing for leading brand medications.”
Overall, patients who purchase medications directly through TrumpRx.gov will be able to see “massive” price reductions on 40 of the most popular branded medicines, the White House added. Commonly used fertility medications were also on the launch list, as well as medication for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma symptoms, atopic dermatitis, hot flashes and more.
“Essentially, TrumpRx will act less as a pharmacy and more as a portal directing patients to manufacturers’ cash-price sales platforms negotiated by the administration,” said the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, of the new program. It noted that supporters view the program as a way to avoid intermediaries and offer lower prices to consumers.
However, it also said downsides of the program – specifically a program run by the federal government – include “risks crowding out private innovation and inviting the familiar problems of political favoritism, coercion, and regulatory corruption.”
STAT reported this week that some experts are also “skeptical the platform will meaningfully affect affordability.”