- The TrumpRX program will let Americans pay out of pocket for discounted drugs.
- Discounts are available for cash-paying customers only and insurance may beat the price.
- Right now, 40 medications from major manufacturers are available through TrumpRX.gov.
President Donald Trump’s program to lower drug prices has now gone live — and Americans are being encouraged to look at TrumpRX first when ordering prescriptions, even if they have insurance, to see if they can beat the out-of-pocket costs.
The drugs are available at the prices listed only for cash-paying customers. The website notes it does not dispense drugs.
According to the website, TrumpRX.gov, the site features “discounted drug prices from manufacturers that have agreed to most favored nation pricing (MFN). Americans can use TrumpRx to purchase drugs in cash (outside of their insurance). These drugs can be obtained at participating pharmacies using coupon cards displayed on TrumpRx or directly through manufacturers’ websites. Not all drugs are currently available at TrumpRx but many more are coming soon.”
The president announced the official opening of the promised TrumpRX program Thursday evening.
“We’re here this evening to celebrate the launch of one of the most transformative health care initiatives of all time. There’s never been anything like it,” Trump said. “Starting tonight, dozens of the most commonly used prescription drugs will be available at dramatic discounts for all consumers.”
The “most favored nation” prices will also apply to what the federal assistance programs like Medicaid and Medicare pay.
Per a White House fact sheet, 40 medications are available at the moment. They are some of the drugs manufactured by AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Novo Nordisk and Pfizer, which have each negotiated with the White House and administration on the issue of drug prices. Deseret News has previously reported on some of the deals reached.
Trump said more will be added as other companies negotiate. He credited the carrot and stick of high tariffs as a threat to successfully lower the prices.
It’s not clear if it will eventually apply through health insurance, but it appears that anyone in the U.S. willing to pay out-of-pocket can access the prices.
“In the entire world, we get most favored prices,” he said during a live stream from the White House.
How the discounts work
“You should not be buying drugs going forward anymore without at least checking” to see if they are available on TrumpRX, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said during the announcement.
The site notes that prescriptions are not sent to TrumpRX. Rather, the doctor sends them to the pharmacy the patient chooses that offers the discount pricing.
Per the directions: “There are two pathways how manufacturers can make available discounted prices. For some drugs, TrumpRx lists coupon cards. These coupon cards can be used at local pharmacies on a nationwide basis, with the exception of certain specialty medicines. For other drugs, there are no coupon cards, and the discounted pricing is currently only available through the manufacturer’s own direct-to-consumer website or through a limited set of mail order pharmacies.”
Only time will show how much most Americans — those who have insurance through employers — will benefit. Some price comparisons by media outlets like Politico suggest those with insurance will find their cost lower than if they pay out of pocket through TrumpRx. On the other hand, drug benefits vary greatly across insurance policies.
What the president said
Trump heralded “dramatic reductions” in popular drugs, including some very popular GLP-1 weight-loss and blood sugar control drugs. As was announced earlier, for example, Novo Nordisk is cutting Ozempic’s price, he said, from more than $1,000 to $199 a month and Wegovy from more than $1,300 to $199 a month.
“Nobody can even believe it, a 578% difference,” Trump said.
There are different dosages, which can make a difference in how much savings one gets.
Trump said Eli Lilly has been “very helpful,” dropping its common insulin drug medication from $200 to $25 through the website.
One of the types of drugs Trump highlighted was a drug used for infertility, Gonal-F. A patient spoke during the announcement about the challenge she has faced affording the medication needed to help her grow her family.
Trump said the price of Gonal-F “will plummet from the highest price in the developed world that we paid — the United States was subsidizing everybody." He said it will be “the lowest price in the world.”
He also said the “dozens of commonly used drugs available today are just the beginning, 16 of the 17 largest pharmaceutical companies have signed agreements and the other one is coming.”
The companies, per Trump, are “committing that going forward all new medicines they bring to the market in the United States will be available at most favored nation prices.”
It is, he added, the “exact opposite” of the last three decades.