US President Donald Trump, US Secretary of Health and Social Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Dr. Mehmet Oz, Center of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, David Sacks, AI and Crypto Czar and Amy Gleason, Director of Interim, Department of Effectiveness of the Government (DOGE) attending the health technology, again “2025.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he had asked large pharmaceutical companies to take action to reduce American medication prices in the next 60 days.
On Truth Social Thursday, Trump published individual letters that he sent 17 drug manufacturers: Abbvie,, Amgen,, AstrazenecaBoehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb,, Eli LillyEmd Serono, Genentech, Gilead,, GSK,, Johnson & Johnson,, Cripple,, Novartis,, Novo Nordisk,, Pfizer,, RegeneronAnd Sanofi.
Trump threatened to “deploy all the tools of our arsenal to protect American families against continuous abusive drug pricing practices” if companies refuse to comply. He asked each company to engage in its several goals by September 29.
The letters intervene after Trump in May signed an executive decree that releases a controversial plan, known as the “most favored nation” policy, which aims to reduce the costs of medication by linking the prices of certain drugs in the United States to the lowest abroad. It was Trump’s latest efforts to try to slow down the prices of American prescription drugs, which are two to three times higher on average than those of other developed countries – and up to 10 times more than in certain countries, according to Rand Corp., a group for thinking about public policies.
The press secretary of the White House, Karoline Leavitt, holds the letter from American president Donald Trump to the CEO of Eli Lilly, David Ricks, during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, United States, on July 31, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
Trump said on Thursday in letters said that drug manufacturers had offered potential solutions for high American drugs. But he said that these proposals “promised more of the same thing: to change the blame and ask for changes in policy that would cause billions of dollars to industry”.
He said that before the future, he will only accept the commitments of drug manufacturers who provide “American families immediately relieved the prices of largely swollen medicines and the end of the free conduct of American innovation by European countries and other developed countries”. Trump said an effort to collaborate to reduce prices for American medication would be the “most effective way” for businesses, government and patients.
Drugmakers’ actions dropped following the announcement on Thursday. The actions of Bristol Myers Squibb and Novo Nordisk fell by almost 5%, the actions of GSK and Merck dropped by more than 3%and the shares of Sanofi dropped by more than 8%.
Here are the steps Trump asks companies to take:
- He called on drug manufacturers to provide their full portfolio of existing drugs at the lowest price in other developed countries – or what he calls the most favored price – to each Medicaid patient.
- Trump also asked companies to contract with the United States to ensure that Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payers receive the most favored prices for all new drugs when launching and the future.
- He called on companies to negotiate harder with what he called “foreign independent countries”, adding that US trade policy will try to support this effort. He declared that the increase in revenues abroad must be “repatriated to reduce the prices of medicines” for American patients and taxpayers through an agreement with the United States
- He asked drug manufacturers to adopt models that sell their drugs directly to consumers or businesses, which effectively eliminates intermediaries and aims to guarantee that all Americans obtain the same prices of the most favored countries as companies offer to paid third parties.
Alex Schriver, Vice-President Director of Phrma, the largest lobbying group in the industry, said that “the importation of foreign price controls would undermine American leadership, injuring patients and workers”.
The group added that to reduce price differences with other countries, US officials should “slow health care intermediaries that increase costs for Americans and encourage foreign countries to pay their fair share for innovative drugs”. Phrma refers to pharmacy services managers, insurers and other payers.
In separate statements, Pfizer spokesperson, Novo Nordisk and Novartis said they worked to find solutions that help Americans access and allow themselves to have medication they need.
Pfizer said the company’s discussions with the Trump administration and the Congress “were productive.” Novartis said he was examining the letter.
The announcement comes only a few days after Astrazeneca said that he had offered price reductions to certain drugs in the United States and the Trump administration is considering these proposals. Astrazeneca added that he plans to sell medicines directly to patients, which is a decision that companies like Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb have adopted while patients find it difficult to allow themselves drugs in the United States
Medication manufacturers are also preparing for the president’s expected prices on pharmaceutical products imported into the United States