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NEW YORK (AP) — In a move aimed at addressing the rising concerns over healthcare expenses and the cost of living in the United States, the Trump administration unveiled a new initiative on Thursday named TrumpRx. This online resource is designed to assist patients in purchasing prescription medications directly at reduced prices.
President Donald Trump, speaking at the launch, touted the financial benefits of the initiative, declaring, “You’re going to save a fortune. And this is also so good for overall health care.”
While TrumpRx itself does not allow direct purchasing of medications, it serves as a guide, directing users to pharmaceutical companies’ direct-to-consumer websites. Here, consumers can buy medications, and the site also offers pharmacy coupons. Currently, the platform features over 40 different medications, including popular weight-loss options like Ozempic and Wegovy.
This initiative is part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy to demonstrate its commitment to tackling the challenge of high living costs. With affordability being a critical issue for many Americans, it poses a potential political risk for Trump and his Republican allies as they approach the November midterm elections. Voters continue to express concerns about the escalating prices of housing, groceries, utilities, and other essentials.
President Trump highlighted that the reduced prices are a result of his administration’s efforts to pressure pharmaceutical companies to align U.S. drug prices with those in other countries. He indicated that this strategy might lead to increased prescription costs abroad as a consequence.
“We’re tired of subsidizing the world,” Trump said at the evening event on the White House campus that lasted roughly 20 minutes.
The administration is touting substantial discounts, though it’s unclear just how much impact the changes will have for family budgets. The site includes the disclaimer that prices “may be even lower” for people with insurance, as it lists the “out-of-pocket price.” Also, some consumers might be able to use available generics that cost less than brand-name medications.
Still, Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, hyped the website as being transformative. He said the lower prices for Ozempic and Wegovy would cause the country to collectively lose 100 million pounds this year. He suggested that lower prices for the fertility drug Gonal-F would trigger pregnancies nationwide.
“We’re going to have a lot of Trump babies with these costs,” Oz said.
The president first teased TrumpRx in September while announcing the first of his more than 15 deals with pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices to match the lowest price offered in other developed nations. He said in December the website would provide “massive discounts to all consumers” — though it’s unclear whether the prices available on drugmakers’ websites will routinely be any lower than what many consumers could get through their insurance coverage.
The website’s Thursday release came after it faced multiple delays, for reasons the administration hasn’t publicly shared. Last fall, Oz told Trump the site would share prices for consumers before the end of the year. An expected launch in late January was also pushed back.
The president has spent the past several months seeking to spotlight his efforts to lower drug prices for Americans. He’s done that through deals with major pharmaceutical companies, including some of the biggest drugmakers like Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Merck, which have agreed to lower prices of their Medicaid drugs to so-called “most favored nations” pricing. As part of the deals, many of the companies’ new drugs are also to be launched at discounted rates for consumer markets through TrumpRx.
Many of the details of Trump’s deals with manufacturers remain unclear, and drug prices for patients in the U.S. can depend on many factors, including the competition a treatment faces and insurance coverage. Most people have coverage through work, the individual insurance market or government programs like Medicaid and Medicare, which shield them from much of the cost.
Trump’s administration also has negotiated lower prices for several prescription drugs for Medicare enrollees, through a direct negotiation program created by a 2022 law.