U.S. President Donald Trump has given 17 pharmaceutical giants a 60-day ultimatum to bring drug prices in the United States down to match those in other wealthy countries — www.naijnaira.com reports.
In a message addressed to top executives from companies like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, AstraZeneca, and Novartis, Trump demanded what he called “Most-Favored-Nation” pricing for American patients, a term that refers to receiving the best available rate offered globally, as first reported by Anadolu Agency.
He said Americans are paying two to three times more than patients in other developed nations for the same medications.
“The American people shouldn’t have to bear the highest prices in the world for lifesaving drugs,” Trump stated in the letter.
He laid out four conditions: apply the MFN standard to Medicaid, peg new drug launch prices to the same model, reinvest foreign profits into domestic price cuts, and back direct-purchase agreements.
“I want nothing less than real and immediate savings for our people,” Trump added.
He has set September 29 as the final date for these companies to agree, placing Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. and Medicare head Mehmet Oz in charge of execution.
Trump emphasized the seriousness of the matter, saying, “If pharmaceutical companies fail to act, we will use every available option.”
This move follows his earlier executive order issued in May, targeting pricing gaps between the U.S. and other industrialized countries.
Article updated 22 hours ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
