Trump Pushes for Major Prescription Drug Shake-Up with New Policy
On Sunday, former President Donald Trump announced a fresh push to lower the cost of prescription medications in the U.S., promising that prices could drop by as much as 30% to 80% under his proposed plan.
Taking to social media, Trump revealed he would sign an executive order at 9 a.m. Monday to launch what he’s calling a “Most Favored Nation” pricing policy. In his words, it’s a move to finally bring “fairness to America.”
Here’s the idea: the cost of drugs in the U.S. would be tied to the lowest price paid for those same drugs in other countries. Essentially, if another nation gets a better deal, the U.S. will match it.
But the former president made it clear this could shift some of the burden elsewhere—hinting that countries currently paying less might start seeing their prices rise to balance things out.
While this pricing model borrows from trade principles usually applied in global commerce—designed to prevent favoritism between trading partners—it’s a bold step into the healthcare arena.
The White House hasn’t released full details yet, and this isn’t Trump’s first attempt to take on Big Pharma. Back in his first term, he floated a similar concept, but it met fierce resistance from the pharmaceutical lobby and stalled out.
Just last month, he signed a separate executive order aimed at cutting drug prices by giving states more flexibility to negotiate abroad and tightening how prices are set.
Now, all eyes are on Monday’s signing to see whether this time, the plan sticks.
