TrumpRx: Big branding, limited impact

 

   This is from Your Local Epidemiologist 

Americans pay outrageously high prices for brand-name drugs, so I’m all for efforts that tackle the root causes. But despite the patriotic branding behind TrumpRx, it lacks real teeth, and most people are unlikely to see any meaningful relief from the new drug website. 

Here are the details:

1. TrumpRx only applies to people who pay cash for prescriptions. So, the vast majority of Americans with health insurance will not benefit.

2. If you do pay cash for drugs from the site, it will likely not count towards your deductible. However, this may be changing following a recent FTC settlement involving Cigna/Express Scripts. Also, eight states have passed laws requiring insurers to count certain cash prescription purchases toward deductibles and out-of-pocket limits.

3. Don’t forget generics. One of the more misleading aspects of TrumpRx is that it focuses on brand-name drugs without clearly telling consumers that much cheaper generic drugs already exist. In fact, 18 of 43 of the drugs on TrumpRx already have cheaper options. So, before you use the platform, double-check that there isn’t already a cheaper option here. For example:

   1. Tikosyn (antiarrhythmic): TrumpRx $672 vs. generic version for $36

   2. Pristiq (antidepressant): TrumpRx $200 vs. generic version for $20

   3. Protonix (acid reflux): TrumpRx $361 vs. generic version on Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs platform is $6. 

4. This isn’t a change in the law. TrumpRx is essentially an online drug marketplace; it doesn’t alter legal requirements or hold industry players more accountable. Real cost relief requires stronger levers. That’s what sets it apart from approaches like California’s, which uses legislation to change the system itself by holding middlemen accountable and reshaping incentives across insurers and pharmacies.

5. Sweeping changes are still needed. The most consequential shift we’ve seen so far came with the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which finally allowed Medicare to negotiate drug prices, but it is narrow, and more reform is urgently needed.

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     Starting this year, 10 Medicare drugs are now, on average, 22% cheaper than before.

   • Just announced: in 2027, 15 more drugs will be added, with prices about 44% lower on average.