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Trump Administration Announces Nine New Pharmaceutical Pricing Deals Ahead of Midterm Elections
In a bid to curb rising drug costs before the fall elections, President Donald Trump announced on Monday that his administration had secured nine new most‑favored‑nation (MFN) agreements with major pharmaceutical companies.
The new partners—Alcon, Astellas Pharma, BeOne Medicines, BridgeBio, CSL, Kyowa Kirin, Sun Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals and UCB—are expected to offer lower prices for select drugs to state Medicaid programs and to list their products on the federal portal TrumpRx.gov. The MFN framework, championed by the Trump team since 2025, requires firms to set U.S. prices comparable to those in other wealthy nations, in exchange for a waiver of potential future tariffs. According to the White House, the nine deals bring the total number of participating companies to 26.
Details of the agreements—including which drugs will see discounts and the size of those discounts—remain undisclosed. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he would release the information, barring proprietary data, but the department has yet to publish the documents.
The opacity has drawn fire from Democratic lawmakers. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden urged HHS and the companies to disclose the promised details, arguing that without them voters cannot gauge the impact on drug affordability. They also warned that the voluntary nature of the agreements could allow firms to back out after the current administration ends.
Trump has repeatedly called on Congress to make the MFN deals permanent. He claims the agreements are already binding because companies are unlikely to withdraw, yet industry lobbying and opposition within his own party have stalled legislative action.
A spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Alex Schriver, said that private agreements differ from government‑mandated price setting and that the MFN deals are designed to boost competitiveness while addressing affordability.
In most existing agreements, companies have announced price reductions for a subset of their product lines, enabling state Medicaid programs—covering roughly 66 million people—to purchase those medicines at lower costs. Many firms also agreed to list their drugs on TrumpRx.gov, a federal website launched in February 2026 that connects patients with coupons and manufacturer‑sponsored assistance programs.
Public Citizen, a consumer‑advocacy group, has expressed uncertainty about the benefits of the MFN program because the confidential nature of the deals limits independent verification. The organization has called for a broader approach that incorporates international reference pricing into Medicare drug negotiations.
The administration has also highlighted the Medicare GLP‑1 Bridge Program, which began in July. The program offers certain seniors access to weight‑loss drugs with a $50 monthly co‑pay. According to a White House fact sheet, more than half a million seniors have saved $216 million on these medicines since the program’s launch. The drugs are supplied at a net price of $245 per month, and the program’s primary payer is the federal government, with coverage handled outside Medicare Part D.
The MFN deals and the GLP‑1 Bridge Program are part of a broader strategy to address healthcare affordability ahead of the midterm elections. While the administration claims the agreements will lower drug prices for Americans, the absence of publicly available data makes it difficult to quantify the savings.
At present, the details of the nine new agreements remain undisclosed, and no legislation has been enacted to make the MFN framework permanent. The administration has indicated that it will continue to negotiate similar deals with other pharmaceutical companies, and it has urged Congress to consider codifying the agreements. The outcome of these efforts will likely influence the political debate over drug pricing and Medicaid policy in the months leading up to the midterm elections.
Potential next steps include congressional hearings on the MFN program, possible legislative proposals to formalize the agreements, and ongoing monitoring by consumer advocacy groups to assess the actual impact on drug prices for Medicaid recipients and other patients.
The new partners—Alcon, Astellas Pharma, BeOne Medicines, BridgeBio, CSL, Kyowa Kirin, Sun Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals and UCB—are expected to offer lower prices for select drugs to state Medicaid programs and to list their products on the federal portal TrumpRx.gov. The MFN framework, championed by the Trump team since 2025, requires firms to set U.S. prices comparable to those in other wealthy nations, in exchange for a waiver of potential future tariffs. According to the White House, the nine deals bring the total number of participating companies to 26.
Details of the agreements—including which drugs will see discounts and the size of those discounts—remain undisclosed. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he would release the information, barring proprietary data, but the department has yet to publish the documents.
The opacity has drawn fire from Democratic lawmakers. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden urged HHS and the companies to disclose the promised details, arguing that without them voters cannot gauge the impact on drug affordability. They also warned that the voluntary nature of the agreements could allow firms to back out after the current administration ends.
Trump has repeatedly called on Congress to make the MFN deals permanent. He claims the agreements are already binding because companies are unlikely to withdraw, yet industry lobbying and opposition within his own party have stalled legislative action.
A spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Alex Schriver, said that private agreements differ from government‑mandated price setting and that the MFN deals are designed to boost competitiveness while addressing affordability.
In most existing agreements, companies have announced price reductions for a subset of their product lines, enabling state Medicaid programs—covering roughly 66 million people—to purchase those medicines at lower costs. Many firms also agreed to list their drugs on TrumpRx.gov, a federal website launched in February 2026 that connects patients with coupons and manufacturer‑sponsored assistance programs.
Public Citizen, a consumer‑advocacy group, has expressed uncertainty about the benefits of the MFN program because the confidential nature of the deals limits independent verification. The organization has called for a broader approach that incorporates international reference pricing into Medicare drug negotiations.
The administration has also highlighted the Medicare GLP‑1 Bridge Program, which began in July. The program offers certain seniors access to weight‑loss drugs with a $50 monthly co‑pay. According to a White House fact sheet, more than half a million seniors have saved $216 million on these medicines since the program’s launch. The drugs are supplied at a net price of $245 per month, and the program’s primary payer is the federal government, with coverage handled outside Medicare Part D.
The MFN deals and the GLP‑1 Bridge Program are part of a broader strategy to address healthcare affordability ahead of the midterm elections. While the administration claims the agreements will lower drug prices for Americans, the absence of publicly available data makes it difficult to quantify the savings.
At present, the details of the nine new agreements remain undisclosed, and no legislation has been enacted to make the MFN framework permanent. The administration has indicated that it will continue to negotiate similar deals with other pharmaceutical companies, and it has urged Congress to consider codifying the agreements. The outcome of these efforts will likely influence the political debate over drug pricing and Medicaid policy in the months leading up to the midterm elections.
Potential next steps include congressional hearings on the MFN program, possible legislative proposals to formalize the agreements, and ongoing monitoring by consumer advocacy groups to assess the actual impact on drug prices for Medicaid recipients and other patients.
