Ozempic is about to go on sale! With TrumpRx, a website announced by the US President Donald Trump will allow Americans to buy popular weight loss drugs at a cheaper rate. The drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have agreed to match prices to the lowest paid in peer nations for all their drugs in Medicaid and for the list prices when their medications first hit the market. They will be offering primary care medicines that will reach to customers directly at a discounted price. While popular weight loss drugs could be bought from the website at as lowest as $149 per month, what else does TrumpRx offer?In his own words, "By taking this bold step, we are ending the era of global price gouging at the expense of American families."Not just Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, in fact, it was Pfizer, which is the first US pharmaceutical group that signed up to the website. The company said that it would offer discounts of up to 85%. This is for the medicines for those not using health insurance policies to pay and for those on the government's low-cost insurance programme - Medicaid. When Will TrumpRx Be Launched?The plan is to launch the website in early 2026 from where consumers could buy prescribed medicines directly from pharmaceutical companies without having to go through insurance. This is also to aid those under the Medicaid programme, which is a federal government programme for adults and children from lower-income backgrounds. The beneficiaries will have access to the drugs at a discounted prices, which is closer to those paid by national health services in foreign countries, known as the "most favoured nation" prices. What Does "Most Favoured Nation" Prices Mean?"Most Favoured Nation" or MFN prices are those that the national health services in countries including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Denmark pay the US pharmaceutical companies for prescribed drugs. Since these medicines are exported in a bulk, the prices are lowered as the purchasing power is greater to demand of the ordinary consumers. This is why pharmaceutical companies tend to sell their drugs at a lower price outside than in their own country. Earlier this year in May, Trump, thus signed an executive order that aimed at reducing prescription drug prices in the US. He stated, "The United States will no longer subsidise the health care of foreign countries.”How Does TrumpRx Play A Role?Apart from the lower drug prices of popular weight loss drugs, Trump, in July had sent letters to CEOs of 17 pharmaceutical companies and ordered them to reduce their prices, based on certain promises from his end, which included:Manufacturers will be provided with an avenue to cut out middlemen and sell medicines directly to patientsManufacturers will be supported by trade policy in raising prices internationallyTrump had also announced new 100% tariffs on imported, branded pharmaceutical products, which will allow him to deliver the second promise. How Will TrumpRx Benefit People?As per a 2022 study commissioned by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, which is published on the US government website, the standard insulin prices in the US are 10 times higher than the prices in 33 OECD countries (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development). Lowering of the prices of drugs domestically, and removing the middle men could bring the prices down. The study also found that the average gross prices in US were more than 10 times the price in France, and the United Kingdom. The prices further skyrocketed by nine times in Italy, eight times the prices in Japan, seven times the prices in Germany, and more than six times in Canada. While many people who take insulin already pay a "net price", which is lower than the standard price, however, the net price is still 2.33 times the price paid in other countries. TrumpRx, thus, could benefit anyone who buys drugs directly from the website. This is especially for those who do not have a health insurance in the US. As per a 2024 report from the US Census Bureau, around 8%, which makes 26 million of the US population, do not have a health insurance. Which Medicines Will Be Sold Through TrumpRx?Apart from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk's popular weight loss drugs like Zepbound, Ozempic and Wegovy, Pfizer too has shared a list of primary-care medicine, not limited to the following:Eucrisa: topical ointment for atomic dermatitis at an 80% discountXeljanz: an oral medication for types of arthritis at a 40% discountZavzpret: a drug to treat migraines at a 50% discountDuavee: to treat menopause symptoms at around an 85% discount.Toviaz: a drug for overactive bladder.
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