President Trump on Thursday despatched letters to 17 of the world’s largest drug firms, telling them to take extra steps to slash the costs of prescribed drugs to match the bottom worth in sure overseas international locations. 

The letters signify an escalation of the administration’s push for decrease drug costs by launching a “most favored nation” mannequin, which ties the costs of prescription medicines within the U.S. to the bottom discovered amongst comparably rich nations. 

Trump demanded the businesses instantly minimize the costs they cost Medicaid sufferers for present medication, and stipulate that they won’t cost Individuals greater than costs provided abroad for brand spanking new medication. 

The White Home mentioned the administration would use commerce coverage to help producers in elevating costs internationally to match the U.S. costs, as long as elevated revenues overseas are reinvested immediately into decreasing costs for American sufferers and taxpayers. 

Trump informed producers that in the event that they “refuse to step up,” the federal authorities “will deploy every tool in our arsenal to protect American families from continued abusive drug pricing practices.” 

He gave the businesses 60 days to conform.  

Letters had been despatched to AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Genentech, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Regeneron and Sanofi. 

White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt introduced the brand new strikes throughout a briefing, and Trump then posted the letters to his Fact Social account. 

Within the letters, Trump mentioned not one of the proposals he has heard from drug firms about bringing down excessive costs have been acceptable. 

 “Most proposals … promised more of the same: shifting blame and requesting policy changes that would result in billions of dollars in handouts to the industry,” the letters said.  

Transferring ahead, Trump mentioned the one options he’ll settle for are people who present “American families immediate relief from the vastly inflated drug prices and an end to the free ride of American innovation by European and other developed nations.” 

The letters mentioned firms should additionally set up a direct-to-consumer gross sales technique so producers can “cut out middlemen” and promote medication at costs that match what personal insurers pay. 

A rising variety of drug firms— together with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk— have already began promoting their anti-obesity medication on to shoppers at decrease costs to sufferers who pay with out insurance coverage.