Trump's drug deals may do little to lower most Americans' prescription costs

The Trump administration announced agreements with 14 drugmakers tying some U.S. prices to those paid in other wealthy countries and creating a TrumpRx self-pay portal, but experts say the deals are unlikely to reduce most patients' out-of-pocket costs.

The White House says the Trump administration reached agreements with 14 drugmakers that would tie certain U.S. drug prices to those in other wealthy countries and offer discounted cash prices through a new self-pay site called TrumpRx. The deals adopt a "most favored nation" pricing approach and have not yet gone into effect. Officials have released limited documentation and have publicly named only some covered medicines. Experts say the available information makes it difficult to judge how much the agreements will change patient costs. What is known: - The White House announced deals with 14 drugmakers in exchange for tariff relief, and officials say the agreements are not yet in effect. - The agreements use a most‑favored‑nation pricing model and include discounts available through a TrumpRx direct‑to‑consumer portal. - Most announced deals do not change what people with private insurance or Medicare pay at the pharmacy, and Medicaid enrollees typically face minimal or no copays. - Some publicized discounts are large for particular drugs; for example, Epclusa's cash price was cited as $2,425 down from $24,920, and Wegovy and Zepbound were reported to move from about $500 monthly toward $350 and then $250. - Experts and policy analysts say many contract details are missing from public disclosures and that the deals could have limited reach or reflect discounts companies were already offering. Summary: Experts say the announced agreements are unlikely to substantially lower most Americans' out‑of‑pocket prescription costs because they generally do not alter patient payments under private insurance or Medicare, and Medicaid beneficiaries already pay little at the pharmacy. The White House says some lower prices will be available on TrumpRx "early this year" and to Medicaid "in the coming months." Overall impact on nationwide out‑of‑pocket spending is undetermined at this time.