President Trump’s self-branded attempt to cut drug prices — TrumpRx — is set to launch within weeks, offering a novel pathway for consumers to buy medicines directly from drugmakers without insurance or middlemen involved.
TrumpRx.gov will allow consumers to purchase drugs for migraines, diabetes and other conditions at discounted prices Mr. Trump negotiated with major pharmaceutical companies.
The website, featuring a photograph of Mr. Trump at his desk, on its main search function says, “Coming soon, January 2026.”
As it stands, the program involves 14 major drugmakers. The companies agreed to sell their products under “most favored nation” (MFN) policies that peg prices to lower costs in other nations.
Health experts say many Americans with insurance would stick to regular paths of purchase for their medicines instead of paying drug companies directly.
But the Trump administration is touting the system as a game-changer for other Americans who have suffered under a byzantine and pricey health system.
“President Trump pledged to lower drug costs for everyday Americans, and the administration’s historic TrumpRx website accomplishes just that: Americans will soon be able to purchase the drugs they need directly from pharmaceutical companies at MFN prices,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said. “These savings, which range from 40% to 80% off the current net prices for branded drugs, will yield billions in annual savings for American patients.”
Patients won’t buy medicines directly from the Trump website. They will be directed to the drugmakers’ direct-to-consumer programs to see how much they could save.
The White House enumerated steep discounts, for example:
• The prices of popular weight-loss drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, will fall from $1,000 and $1,350 per month, respectively, to $350 when purchased through TrumpRx.
• Merck will reduce the price of its diabetes medication, Januvia, from $330 to $100 for patients buying directly through TrumpRx.
• Amgen will cut the price of its cholesterol drug Repatha from $573 to $239 for TrumpRx customers.
Health experts say there are caveats to consider.
The plan is somewhat piecemeal, rather than a holistic solution to high drug prices, and the lack of a connection to insurance could be a hindrance for some. Instead, the target customer for TrumpRx might be someone who does not have health insurance but needs a certain drug at a more affordable price.
“If a drug isn’t covered by your insurance or you know you have a high-deductible plan, and you have to pay $10,000 before your coverage kicks in, you might be better off buying direct to consumer or directly from the manufacturer,” said Juliette Cubanski, deputy director of the program on Medicare policy at KFF, a nonpartisan health policy and research organization. “But I think generally speaking, most people with insurance coverage will continue to be better off using their insurance to obtain medications rather than purchasing through the Trump RX portal.”
She said it cannot hurt to check and see whether a drug is available through the TrumpRx website.
However, insured patients should be aware that they might be foregoing benefits, such as prices negotiated by insurers or credits toward their deductible, or the amount someone pays before coverage kicks in and covers some of the cost.
“So you just have to kind of understand the caveats associated with purchasing your medications that way,” Ms. Cubanski said.
The participating drugmakers are Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Genentech, Gilead, GSK, Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer and Sanofi.
Pfizer, the first drugmaker to join the effort last year, said customers could save as much as 85%, or 50% on average.
The company said the “specific terms of the agreement remain confidential.”
Health experts said the confidential arrangements make it hard to study the policy or draw a direct line between the discounted price and what other countries pay for the same drug.
Drugmakers have received tariff relief or expedited reviews for their products in exchange for their participation, and they are hoping for added revenue from discount-driven sales.
Direct-to-consumer sales also cut out pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), who manage drug benefits and act as an intermediary between insurers and drug manufacturers.
Critics of PBMs say they do not always pass along negotiated savings to patients or insurers, making them opaque middlemen who drive up list prices.
“We know that patients who are uninsured or in high-deductible health plans are most likely to benefit from [direct-to-consumer] programs,” said Sarah Ryan, a spokeswoman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a major drugmakers’ lobby. “There’s growing recognition that PBMs, insurers and other middlemen drive up costs, restrict access and make it harder for patients to access medicines.”
PhRMA said 27.2 million Americans are uninsured and must pay out of pocket for medications, while more than 80 million Americans are enrolled in high-deductible health plans that generally force them to pay the full list price of the medicine until their insurance kicks in.
“Just because you have insurance coverage doesn’t guarantee you have access to needed medicines,” Ms. Ryan said.
It is not clear if the Trump-branded program will last beyond the current administration. It was not passed into law by Congress.
Mr. Trump is hoping for an immediate political benefit, however.
He recently said his most-favored-nation discounts will be a game-changer in this year’s midterm elections, once voters hear about it.
“We should win the elections,” he said, “on just that thing.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the last name of Sarah Ryan from PhRMA.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.