Politico Pro: Drugmakers lay out sparse response to Trump drug pricing demands

The largest drug lobby on Monday rolled out a slate of commitments including U.S. manufacturing investments and a direct purchase website, but fell short of President Donald Trump’s demand that they offer Americans drugs at the prices they charge other nations.

The new announcements appear to be a response to a set of letters Trump sent to 17 drugmakers in May, asking them to extend most-favored nation pricing to Medicaid, guarantee newly launched drugs be listed at the same price in the U.S. as in other nations and allow consumers to directly buy medicines at lower prices.

The president demanded action by Sept. 29.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America CEO Stephen Ubl said in a statement that drugmakers are “answering President Trump’s call to put America first.”

“But we can’t do it alone,” Ubl said. “We need policymakers to protect innovation, fix the broken insurance system that burdens patients with high out-of-pocket costs, and ensure foreign governments pay their fair share.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Last week, it began review of a proposed regulation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that may potentially force drugmakers to sell their drugs at a “global benchmark” price.

“It is not clear to me what this administration will deem to be a success such that the administration doesn't go forward with other proposed or planned policies,” said Rachel Sachs, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis who worked as a senior adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the General Counsel during the Biden administration.

PhRMA said its member companies are making $500 billion in new U.S.-based infrastructure investments that will lead to new American jobs. It also is launching a new website in January 2026 that will link patients with drugmaker direct purchase programs.

“Pharmaceutical manufacturers must make their own decisions to offer direct purchase programs, determine how they will work and if they want to participate in AmericasMedicines.com,” the brand drug lobby said in a press release.

Craig Garthwaite, a health economist at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, said PhRMA’s third announcement — highlighting patient assistance programs — can help a subset of patients while benefiting drug companies.

“Firms will often do things that are profit maximizing, but appear to generate social good, and then advertise them that way,” Garthwaite said. “And that's what a lot of this looks like when you're talking about providing financial resources to people who are insured or uninsured.”

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee ranking member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released a report on Monday slamming drugmakers for raising the prices of 688 drugs since Trump took office.

“I agree with President Trump: it is an outrage that the American people pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs,” Sanders said. “But unlike Trump, I believe we need more than just press releases, polite requests to drug companies and pilot projects.”