Nine more companies sign pricing deals with Trump

Nine more pharma groups have agreed to lower the costs of their medicines in the US under the Trump administration's most favoured nation (MFN) scheme in return for avoiding tariffs.

US companies Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, and Merck/MSD have signed up to reduce the prices of medicines for Medicare and cash buyers through the TrumpRx direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales channel, along with Roche's Genentech unit, with European firms Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, Novartis, and Sanofi also agreeing terms.

Under the MFN policy, Trump is attempting to bring medicine prices in line with those paid in other developed nations.

The new sign-ups join AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Merck KGaA, Novo Nordisk, and Pfizer, which also agreed MFN deals in recent weeks to avoid tariffs for a period of three years. According to the White House, the agreements will result in "billions of dollars in savings."

The announcement will bring some positive news on the cost of living for Trump, who has been criticised for dismissing rising prices and 'affordability' as a Democrat hoax, although the MFN pricing will not affect the majority of Americans who have private health insurance or get access to medicines through Medicaid, which already has big discounts.

It was telling that in comments at a press conference to announce the new deals, Trump said: "This represents the greatest victory for patient affordability in the history of American healthcare, by far."

It could also help distract from anger over Congress failing to pass a deal to prevent the expiry of federal tax credits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), hitting healthcare coverage and costs for millions of people in the US.

Among the drugs that will be offered through the TrumpRx channel, which is due to launch early next year, are Amgen's cholesterol-lowering injection Repatha (evolocumab), BMS' HIV medication Reyataz (atazanavir), Sanofi's blood thinner Plavix (clopidogrel), and Novartis' multiple sclerosis treatment Mayzent (siponimod).

GSK's respiratory drugs will also be made available at a discount through the channel, along with diabetes medicines from Boehringer (Jentadueto; linagliptin/metformin) and MSD (Januvia; sitagliptin), Gilead's hepatitis C therapy Epclusa (sofosbuvir/velpatasvir), and Genentech's flu drug Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil).

The drugs will be offered at discounts of up to 70% off their list price, while three of the new signatories – GSK, BMS, and MSD – have agreed to donate supplies of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for key medicines into a US stockpile that will "reduce reliance on foreign nations."

Remarks at the press conference to announce the nine new agreements suggested that other companies are also due to finalise deals this week.