President Trump on Monday announced a dramatic expansion of TrumpRx, adding more than 600 generic medications to its direct-to-consumer prescription website.
The event was attended by billionaire Mark Cuban, who sells mail-order medications directly to consumers for transparent prices, along with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The Trump administration has been promoting its deals with drug companies, known as “most favored nation” pricing, which means the drugs are sold in America at the much lower price they sell for in other nations.
“With these additions, TrumpRx will feature the best and lowest prices on prescriptions used by tens of millions of Americans already and, in some cases, the discounted generics available through TrumpRx may be offered at an even lower cash price than the out-of-pocket insurance cost,” Mr. Trump said at a White House event.
Mr. Trump and other Republicans hope the emphasis on lower-cost medicines will help address affordability concerns ahead of what’s expected to be a brutal midterm election this fall.
The White House Council of Economic Advisers estimates that the “most favored nation” drug status will save Americans more than $500 billion over the next decade.
“This will provide American consumers with new options, more savings and unprecedented price transparency, putting billions and billions back in the pockets of hardworking Americans,” the president said. “What a difference it’s going to make at the end of a week.”
Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, have criticized TrumpRx for its lack of generic options.
A generic drug is an FDA-approved pharmaceutical that is identical to a brand-name but cheaper because they are based on expired patents of existing drugs, so they do not require the massive research and development costs of a new drug.
Ms. Warren blasted Mr. Kennedy at a hearing last month, telling him that TrumpRx should have more generic offerings.
She told Mr. Kennedy that generic drugs are chemically the same, but there is “a one-in-four chance” the prescription is actually the brand name, which is more expensive.
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