The 100% pharmaceutical price is suspended. What could that mean for your medication costs?
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Main to remember
- Trump has announced 100% tariffs on the brand name or patented drugs unless companies develop American manufacturing, but the application is pending.
- Generic drugs are exempt from prices, although imported ingredients can further increase costs.
- Experts say that prices can increase medication prices for some people, depending on their insurance coverage.
President Donald Trump has recently announced 100% prices on imports of brand names or patented drugs unless pharmaceutical companies undertake to build manufacturing facilities in the United States. The prices had to take effect on October 1, but they were suspended while the administration tries to conclude agreements with large pharmaceutical companies.
Many American pharmaceutical companies develop drugs at the national level but make them abroad, where the workforce and other costs are lower. Trump said he wanted to extend the manufacture of American drugs and said prices as a way of achieving this goal.
What drugs could be affected?
The last announcement of the 100% prices applies to brand or patented drugs. We do not know which drugs will be directly affected, because large pharmaceutical companies, notably Eli Lilly, Astrazeneca and Abbvie, have all promised new investments in American manufacturing.
If the prices take effect, not all categories of drugs will be subject to prices and the rates will vary accordingly.
Generic drugs
Generic drugs, which represent approximately 90% of drugs sold in the United States, would be exempt from prices. However, Some imported ingredients can be subject to prices. If you notice an increase in prices on your generic drugs, plan to use a reduced price medication card, such as Goodrx or Singlecare, to see if they can help you find alternatives at a lower cost. Current generic drugs include the hypocholesterolic drug lipitor (atorvastatin) and the neurontin (gabapentine) drug drug.
Imported brand drugs
Medicines imported from the European Union and Japan would be subject to a rate of 15% under the establishments established last summer.
Ozempic, manufactured by the manufacturer of Danish drugs Novonordisk, should not be subject to new prices since the company has manufacturing factories in the United States However, drugs like Botox, which are only manufactured in Ireland, could be subjected at a rate of 15%.
Negotiated-maladie medicines negotiated
From January 2026, 10 widely used brand drugs will considerably drop the price of people with Medicare plans D. These are in particular Elimisis, Xarelto, Stelara and more.
“It doesn’t matter where the drugs are manufactured, The negotiated prices will hold“Said Mariana Socal, MD, PHD, associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The savings range from a 38% reduction in the cost for the imbruvica to a reduction of 79% for Januvia, according to Medicare.
Small biopharmaceutical drugs
In recent years, the United States has approved several biopharmaceutical drugs, including those developed by recombinant DNA technology and gene cloning.
Many small biotechnology companies manufacture abroad and probably cannot afford to move these operations in the United States, said Albert Wertheimer, PHD, auxiliary professor at the Touro College of Pharmacy in New York.
He added that small businesses may have to transmit the tariff cost to consumers if the prices are imposed.
What if you notice the increase in prices for your medication
If the prices take effect, they could lead to an increase in consumer medication prices.
“The prices of drugs in the United States already have a large benefit that is built there, so that large pharmaceutical companies could absorb the price cost and not transmit them,” David Blumenthal, professor of public health and health at Harvard Th Chan School of Public Health told Testwell.
“But Companies can choose to charge customers the additional cost if the prices are kept in place for a long timeAnd prices could increase the cost of employee health insurance premiums if employers are more charged by insurers to cover medicines for employees, “he added.
The quantity more you will have to pay depends on your insurance policy, according to Socal. For example, if your copaie is a flat price, this is what you will continue to pay. However, if you pay for a coast of 20% or even 50%, if the price increases, your share of the cost will also increase.
If your medication costs increase, tell your doctor before being preliminary to a medication, Socal said. You can contact the drug manufacturer for help programs or ask your doctor if there is an effective but more affordable alternative.
Will Trumprx help save money?
Phrma, which represents the pharmaceutical industry, has announced a new website, Americasmedicines, which will give access to companies offering direct drugs to consumers. Details are still limited, but the site should be launched in January 2026.
Trump announced a similar site, Trumprx, who will sell medicines directly to people in the United States at the lowest price for which they are sold in foreign countries. The website will probably benefit people who pay for drugs.