President Donald Trump announced nine additional pharmaceutical agreements aimed at lowering prescription costs through his administration’s most-favored-nation pricing strategy.
The August 31 announcement seeks to align certain American medicine prices with lower prices charged in other developed countries.
The nine companies are Alcon, Astellas Pharma, BeOne Medicines, BridgeBio, CSL, Kyowa Kirin, Sun Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and UCB.
Advertisement
The White House said the agreements bring 26 manufacturers under most-favored-nation arrangements, covering 89% of the branded-drug market.
Trump presented the expansion as another step toward reducing the unusually high prescription prices Americans frequently face.
“American drug prices will come down fast and furious,” Trump said while predicting substantial reductions beginning next year.
He said the agreements are projected to save Americans more than $600 billion, an estimate from administration economists.
Advertisement
The White House said its Council of Economic Advisers projects roughly $600 billion in savings over the next decade.
Reuters cautioned those projections remain speculative because many pricing details and complete contracts have not been publicly released.
Every state Medicaid program would receive access to most-favored-nation pricing for products made by the participating manufacturers.
Medicaid already receives substantial statutory drug rebates, while beneficiaries generally face limited out-of-pocket prescription costs under existing rules.
Reuters reported precise discounts, covered medicines and expected patient savings remain unclear because full agreement terms were not disclosed.
The administration says covered treatments involve hemophilia, Parkinson’s disease, glaucoma, macular degeneration, liver disease, skin conditions and cancers.
Trump called the Medicaid pricing “a tremendous discount,” arguing it should significantly reduce overall medical costs.
The deals also promise most-favored-nation pricing for new innovative medicines the participating companies introduce in the United States.
The companies also committed at least $19.6 billion collectively toward near-term pharmaceutical manufacturing investments inside the United States.
The White House says those investments should expand domestic production, strengthen supply chains and reduce dependence on foreign sources.
Advertisement
Several manufacturers additionally pledged active pharmaceutical ingredients to the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve for future emergencies.
UCB pledged levetiracetam, while Sun Pharma committed clindamycin and doxycycline, all used in commonly prescribed medicines.
Those reserve contributions add a national-security component to an initiative primarily promoted as a response to American prescription costs.
Reuters reported U.S. prescription medicines often cost nearly three times what patients pay in other developed nations.
The administration began its current most-favored-nation push with a May 2025 executive order directing agencies toward international price alignment.
Advertisement
Trump then sent letters to 17 leading manufacturers in July 2025 outlining requested pricing changes and additional commitments.
Those companies later reached agreements, including major manufacturers Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
Earlier deals included lower prices for federal programs and direct-to-patient discounts through the administration’s TrumpRx website.
The White House says patients have saved more than $700 million through TrumpRx since its February launch.
Officials also highlighted an obesity-drug pilot offering certain seniors without GLP-1 coverage access for $50 monthly.
The White House says more than 500,000 seniors saved $216 million through that program during its first two months.
Earlier agreements produced major announced reductions for weight-loss medicines from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, according to Reuters.
The latest agreements extend the administration’s approach beyond the largest drugmakers toward midsize pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
Advertisement
Reuters previously found some smaller manufacturers saw limited financial incentives to participate, contributing to slower adoption.
Teva separately said it remained in discussions despite the White House listing it among the nine participating manufacturers.
Critics remain skeptical that negotiated deals will broadly reduce consumer spending without clearer terms and independently verifiable savings.
Public Citizen’s Peter Maybarduk called the new deals “a distraction” from what his organization considers inadequate international price alignment.
The administration points instead to Medicaid pricing, TrumpRx discounts, manufacturing commitments, and reserve contributions as evidence of measurable benefits.
For patients, the ultimate impact depends on which medicines qualify, how discounts operate, and whether savings reach individual consumers.
For taxpayers, lower Medicaid prices could reduce government spending if negotiated terms outperform rebates already required under federal law.
The $19.6 billion manufacturing commitment could expand domestic capacity, although investment timing and project details differ among companies.
The announcement combines drug-pricing policy, Medicaid spending, direct-purchase discounts, manufacturing incentives, and pharmaceutical supply-chain security.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
