Trump to sign executive order to cut prices of medicine to match other countries

[highplainsdem]

Source: Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would sign an executive order to cut prescription prices to the level paid by other high-income countries, an amount he put at 30% to 80% less.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would sign the executive order on Monday morning to pursue what is known as "most favored nation" pricing or international reference pricing.

-snip-

"They will rise throughout the World in order to equalize and, for the first time in many years, bring FAIRNESS TO AMERICA!" he said.

-snip-

The drugmakers expect the order to apply to a universe of drugs beyond those currently subject to negotiation under former President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/trump-sign-executive-order-reducing-prescription-drug-prices-2025-05-11/

---

He seems particularly happy about other countries' drug prices going up.

[underpants]

1. Full post. Expects nationalized medicine in other countries to pick up some of the difference

[highplainsdem]

6. Thanks!

[enid602]

30. New grift

The tariffs will just make the prices go even higher. Redistribute the money to billionaires.

[Norrrm]

2. That won't last long. Some well-placed 'donations' will put it in the memory hole.

He's putting the squeeze on the drug makers.

IMHO

[highplainsdem]

5. This could be another market manipulation, too.

[NotHardly]

8. THIS

[Beartracks]

3. Well, he doesn't consider it "winning" unless he thinks it's at somebody else's expense.

[highplainsdem]

7. He's a sadist.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. I think the net effect of this tariff scheme will be to strangle supply, not actually lower prices. . . . nt

[VMA131Marine]

27. I agree. Price controls cause supply shortages

Plus there’s the whole question of whether this EO is even Constitutional and I have my doubts on that.

[NJCher]

38. yeah, we have to stop looking at the term "executive order"

and replace it with "desperate wish." What an effing joke. I worked in the pharmaceutical industry with two of the giants in that field. They had conferences where they explored why U.S. drug prices were so much higher than those in other parts of the world. As if these pricks didn't already know.

I had to cover these conferences and present the take to the media on it. I LMAO when one expert from Canada came right out and said the reason was that U.S. citizens had the money and other parts of the world didn't, and that's why.

To think that this moron can come out and issue one of his "executive orders" and things will change is laughable.

Oh well, at least I won't have to be in my office tomorrow thinking of how to present this development to the pharmaceutical world.

What a clown.

Yeah, wave your magic wand, you caked-on orange face moron.

[Raven123]

9. Does this mean the weekend negotiations with China weren't productive?

Need a distraction?

[50 Shades Of Blue]

10. Like Big Pharma will stand for THAT.

[Jughead]

11. More lies

He just cut 35.00 insulin. He’s no way reducing drug costs with an executive order.

[homegirl]

17. Put this in

the same category as "Bigger, better, cheaper health care for all coming in TWO WEEKS!"

[SSJVegeta]

29. I wonder if he actually will try to executive order universal healthcare into existance

[Bengus81]

59. Getting ready to post the same thing. Another CON JOB for the Markets.

[Grokenstein]

12. dim's about to show the world--even the cult--how much power an EO DOESN'T have. nt

[travelingthrulife]

13. Big Pharma better open their checkbook for the felon.

[Irish_Dem]

14. Except for companies which pay a nice big bribe.

[bucolic_frolic]

54. Is Trump's order aimed at Mark Cuban's Cost-Plus Pharma pricing?

Mark Cuban could be our guy in 2028. He understands Big Business and he's not happy for consumers. Trump is taking aim, just in case.

[Irish_Dem]

55. Trump does nothing unless it benefits himself in some way.

[NewEnglandAutumn]

15. I doubt it will happen

In this country the Insurance companies set how much people pay for their medication. Rx costs have nothing to do with pharmacies (most don't make money on prescriptions) name brand medications make pharmacies nothing in fact pharmacies often lose money on the most expensive medications. The people reaping massive profits are insurance companies and big Pharma. Those entities have very deep pockets and give a LOT of money to political parties.

I suspect Donnie is not aware of this and is desperate to boost his popularity. It is an act of desperation not a policy.

[NJCher]

39. similar words

In my post above: It is an act of desperation not a policy.

[bmichaelh]

16. He does not need an executive order

His post is filled with lies.

The Democrats are not holding prices high but the Republicans.

House GOP was not in agreement with his executive order.

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-gop-disagree-on-drugs/

He does not need executive order; he has control of both House and Senate.

He can have a bill to lower prescription prices.

BTW, There is one thing the GOP or his executive orders will never do.

Remove the decision on approval of payment from insurers.

Sometimes they make a decision to not pay for potential life saving treatments.

[Cheezoholic]

18. He's done and said several things this weekend that make me think the repukes know they are underwater in '26

and they are using him to throw the tons of BS at the wall to save themselves. I also think he's worried if Dems can take both the House and Senate back. No Manchinola or Sinemax to save him this go around.

[Journeyman]

19. Gotta get that jet off the front page . . .

and what better way than cynically manipulating a hugely popular idea, one which can later be reversed and blamed on the influence of "the deep state" or the machinations of "the government" or "politics as usual."

[Smackdown2019]

20. King Trump

Trump needs to be reminded.... USA is a democracy, not a monarchy.

300 years ago, kings could set prices.

Today, Markets do... unless there is regulations....

Medicine is a necessity... but the developers dont work for free.

Reasonable affordable prices is the key and markets will set the consumer prices.....

[Bluetus]

21. He might as well write an EO to declare every day will be sunny and fair weather

Seriously, people report this bullshit as if it had some truth to it.

All the EC is, is a directive to people working in the Executive Branch of how they should go about the duties and authorities they have in law. An EO cannot change a law or set a new policy that is against the laws that already exist. An EO cannot tell a private citizen what to do. An EO cannot tell a company what to do. It is only an instruction to an EMPLOYEE of the Executive branch.

Why are these things so hard for the media to understand? And I'm not convinced most of the people in Congress understand it either.

[NJCher]

40. in a recent interview

Dahlia Lithwick of Slate (sr. editor) said the same. She came right out and said the media coverage of his "executive orders" was a disservice to the reading public.

Other terminology, too, but this was one of them.

[Bluetus]

61. Part of it is Trump's insanity and ego

But part of it is deliberate to distract.

We really have horrible major media. They are mostly enablers for Trump , even if they don't intend to be.

[Tarzanrock]

22. I'm confused by the Turd's fallacious logic.

If prescription drug prices are to be miraculously "lowered" by 30% to 80% because of the Turd's "executive order," -- then why would the same prescription drug prices "rise throughout the rest of the world in order to equalize?"

[Bluetus]

24. This EO is completely meaningless. It has no legal authority at all. But for sake of argument

if Congress passed a law saying that pharma companies cannot charge more for the same drugs than they charge on average in the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, and Italy, then the companies would be motivated to try to raise prices in those other countries, in order to maintain current profit levels worldwide.

Trump is right that Americans are being ripped off, and once again, Trump is taking the initiative on a populist position while Dems come up with 1000 reasons why we can't do anything.

This kind of thing has to be passed in law, such as the Biden era law that allowed Medicare to "negotiate" (not demand MFN pricing) with drug companies, but only for 10 specific drugs. Nobody seems to care about the laws or the Constitution anymore, so hell, let's wish Trump good luck with this one. Of course, it is far more likely that this is just another shakedown. Once big Pharma gives him $100M in bribes, he'll drop the whole thing. But that's legal because clearly that is an official act -- a lot more official than leveling Gaza to build a bunch of Trump hotels.

Dems should be claiming these bold ideas and campaigning on them rather than hiding in the shadows all the time.

[Tarzanrock]

23. Say there, Crackpot Turd, just how are we "saving" ...

"TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS" when the prescription drug costs are nowhere near those "TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS" numbers you are lying about? Perhaps,
Dumbfuck Turd, you need a 4th grader to explain to you that $487 billion is nowhere near "TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS!"

In 2024, US prescription drug spending reached approximately $487 billion. This includes a net spending increase of 11.4% compared to the previous year. Additionally, out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs reached $98 billion in 2024, a 25% cumulative increase over five years

[Ol Janx Spirit]

25. That's easy: he did not say per year...or even per decade. In fact, he didn't give any timeframe.

I can save a dollar per year on my family's cable bill and claim I saved them a trillion dollars. Sure, it will take a trillion years....

[RockRaven]

26. I see this as a blame-shifting maneuver. He's going to say he did his part, and

prices being as high as they are from here on out is the fault of the companies, Congress, the courts, other countries, everybody but him.

One, two, three, NOT IT!!!!!

[James48]

28. An Exexcutive Order can't change prices.

Why doesn’t somebody call him on it? He doesn’t have the legal basis to direct prices now.

When Nixon wanted price controls, it took legislation.
This is just another illegal move. Price setting is not a presidential power.
If it was, a Dem could simply Executive Order a tax on guns and raise the price of ammo until it as too expensive.

[NJCher]

41. in his dreams

he lives in a fantasy world where he waves a wand, and....

[applegrove]

31. I find it so hard to make sense of the world Trump lives in.

It just never makes any sense. Are drug prices going to rise or fall, he does not seem to know.

[NJCher]

42. you might be interested in what the Canadian expert said

which I wrote about in my first post on this thread.

You should have seen the faces of the U.S. execs when the Canadian expert told us all why U.S. drug prices are so high.




It was a choice moment, to put it mildly.

[Tarzanrock]

32. Drug prices will continue to go up.

In the pharmaceutical distribution system everyone takes their own vigorish from every pill which is dispensed. In matters where Medicare or Medicaid is involved these thieves really gouge the public spigot.

In the flow of payment from drug manufacturer to consumer, several parties receive compensation: drug manufacturers receive payment for selling drugs to wholesalers, who in turn sell to pharmacies, and ultimately, the consumer pays the pharmacy. Pharmacies, wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and insurers also receive payments or rebates from manufacturers or each other, impacting the final cost to the consumer.

[Warpy]

33. Nice idea for generic drugs

but companies are going to fight tooth and nail over the prices of drugs on patent.

In fact, I can think of several ridiculously overpriced generic crugs that companies will fight over.

I doubt this will work, although it's the first nice gesture he's made. The courts will probably tell him he's exceeded his authority. Again.

[NJCher]

43. I would interpret this more along the lines of

desperation.

first nice gesture

[niyad]

62. Congratulations on your 40,000 post milestone.

[NJCher]

63. Thank you!

[Tarzanrock]

34. If you think that you are being "ripped" off by the pharmaceutical industries and by the insurance industries ...

... just wait until you see the inflated price of a "pill" which is dispensed in a hospital or in a nursing home or in an assisted living facility. You can factor the costs of that "pill" by about 3x to 5x or more -- on top of all the "costs" which are inccured in getting that "pill" to these "care" facilities before these "care" facilities put their vigorish on the pricing of that pill.

[flying rabbit]

35. DONNIE! REALITY DOESNT WORK THIS WAY!

for fucks sake

[Akakoji]

36. Here come major drug shortages

The first time this was tried regionally Pharma basically shut down transportation of drugs from New York to Maine. And, the price of all other drugs went up - especially the generics. Unless we target the 35 house reps considered most vulnerable to NOT renew Trumps tax cuts by gutting Medicaid, it won’t matter anyway. Every day for the next two to 3 weeks people! Get loud now. #handsoff

[C Moon]

37. Yeah right. The gop (let alone maga) only do things to make themselves and their criminal friends money.

Something is up trump's sleeve. And it's grimy, ugly and stinky.
It will rear it's head shortly.

[FiveFifteen]

44. As useful as Michael Scott declaring bankruptcy.

Trump trying to distract from his flying gold toilet bribe.

[Botany]

45. Clueless

Trump, Our prices won’t go down but other countries prices will go up. (He hopes)

China and India make 90 % of the world’s generic drugs Krasnov doesn’t
get to set other nations’ drug prices.

I wonder where “the grift” is in all this for Krasnov and big pharmaceutical?

[JohnSJ]

47. If other countries drug prices go up, depending how high they go up, based on his proposal, our prices will be

at least as high as those prices, and if he implements his tariffs on drugs in addition, there may not be any price reduction for us, and worldwide, all drug prices will effectively go up.

I don't think they know what the hell they are doing.

[Botany]

48. Other nations make pharmaceuticals too and what those manufacturers and other nations

charge for drugs is not under Krasnov’s control and China makes a hell of a lot
of precursors that are used in the making of drugs too.

[JohnSJ]

50. Yes they do, and it is even more complicated because many of the U.S. pharmaceutical companies have partnerships or

alliances with the foreign pharmaceuticals.

[Botany]

60. One of the reasons our prescription drugs cost so much is that we (I think) are the only ...

… Country in the World that allows for advertising of prescription drugs and the drug companies
get to write off those advertisements as business expenses.

BTW Trump is gonna drop his tariffs against China because they have all the leverage so as
owning so much of our debt.

He is clueless and is in way over his head.

[JohnSJ]

46. First, this has to be approved by Congress. His executive order won't do diddly. Second, he has said he will be

announcing tariffs on pharmaceuticals soon, so will those tariffs offset any supposed price reduction if congress approves this?

At the same time a likely result of this will be for pharmaceuticals to increase their drug prices overseas to keep their margins, and that will keep drug prices here above a certain minimum.

The unknown part is will this create drug shortages, and if so, shortages will cause price increases.

So the Republican Party through their president now wants price controls, but the way they are proposing it may actually increase prices.

It will be interesting to see what happens, but I think the potential for unintended consequences are huge, especially in regard to potential shortages, his promised tariffs on drugs, and if the prices go up on international drug prices, will that keep the drug prices here still high?

[Scrivener7]

49. Which will have absolutely nothing to do with the price of drugs.

[gab13by13]

51. Dems messaging is horrible

Congressional Democrats need to take the stage today and let the people know that President Biden actually did lower the prices for prescription drugs which takes effect in 2026. President Biden got a bill passed and not an edict that carries no weight.

President Biden got a bill passed that will lower prescription drug prices for 10 common drugs for people on Medicare. Democrats need to point out that Congressional Magats were opposed to Biden's Bill.

What Krasnov is doing may jeopardize that bill.

[bucolic_frolic]

52. Yes but now we have pharma without research b/c government funding is neutered.

We don't even keep the jobs, those high-paying scientists and researchers are on the unemployment lines.

Other countries will grab our best if they can persuade them. Will private labs pickup the slack here? Is it a privatization plan all along?

Other countries will resist, and protest. We lose good will too. We no longer help the world, we fleece them. There went foreign policy.

[gab13by13]

53. Saw this on Raw Story

Former Republican lawmaker Barbara Comstock asked, "Can Trump sign an Executive Order lowering the exorbitant prices charged for membership and rooms at Mar-Lago, Doral and Bedminster that are so much more expensive than similar clubs and rooms and 'suckers' are getting ripped off paying these high prices to get access?"

[k_buddy762]

56. More lip service

As with all things Trump, watch his actions, not his words.

I can't believe anyone is still listening to him. What he says doesn't matter, what he DOES is the key.

[everyonematters]

57. He doesn't have the authority to do it without congress. The companies will take him to court and win.

If he did, Biden or Obama would have done it.

[LiberalArkie]

58. Is the the EO that the Republican congress going to rebel on?