US President Donald Trump. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Cincinnati on Wednesday to discuss his new prescription drug plan.
The Ohio expert said there’s not much new about it, and reports have shown that about half of the 43 drugs covered by TrumpRx have generic alternatives that are much cheaper.
As is often the case with Trump, the claims he has made about his new agenda are exaggerated.
“Find the world’s lowest prescription drug prices” is at the top of the agenda website.
“Thanks to President Trump, the days of Big Pharma price gouging are over,” we read further.
“Using the full weight and power of the United States of America, the president has ensured that every American has the lowest prescription drug prices in the developed world.”
However, there is more to this story.
TrumpRx said it provides “most favored nation” pricing to those who operate it. But for many medications, it offers manufacturer coupons.
In some cases, these are limited-time offers. In others, they can only be obtained by post.
And some of the drugs covered by TrumpRx have generic alternatives with prices that are just a fraction of those of brand-name drugs on the new platform of the White House health journalism organization Statistical news reported in February.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
The website says it offers the anti-reflux drug Protonix “starting at” $200 for 30 doses. Stat News found that the average drug price on TrumpRx was $361.
Meanwhile, a generic version of the same drug – pantoprazole – is available at GoodRx for just $13.82, or one 26th of the price.
There are cases where TrumpRx offers the best deal.
Fertility medicine According to Stat News, Cetrotide costs an average of $22.50 on the website for a pre-filled syringe and vial. The generic version cost $49.50 for Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs, more than double the price.
All these prices are for out-of-pocket payments, without insurance.
The coupons offer discounts from list prices, which are inflated in part by rebates that immense middlemen, known as pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, charge drugmakers in exchange for covering their products.
Research has shown this as discounts increased, list prices increased.
Antonio Ciaccia, a Columbus-based drug pricing expert, said TrumpRx essentially replicates coupon programs that many drugmakers already operate to aid uninsured patients.
Insurers and their PBMs receive discounts from list prices, so assistance programs level the playing field for uninsured patients somewhat.
“Because all drugs have false, inflated list prices, almost every manufacturer has a so-called patient assistance program,” Ciaccia said.
“If you don’t have insurance and you meet certain financial requirements, the drug company will give you a coupon.”
He added that while the plan is not original, it could boost awareness of the discount programs and make them more convenient.
“TrumpRx essentially takes a lot of the off-the-shelf manufacturer assistance programs that already exist, white-labels them, and consolidates them in one place,” Ciaccia said.
“The idea of at least having them in one place is good for patient convenience.”
Thanks to some of Trump’s actions, there will be many more uninsured Americans serving in 2025.
Due to nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts and the expiration of Covid-19-era insurance subsidies it is estimated that by 2034, 15 million people will be uninsured.
Given that TrumpRx is mostly repackaging discounts already available, it won’t do anything substantive to change the trajectory of drug prices, Ciaccia said.
“How significant are the discounts compared to what will be in place under the new programs?” he asked.
“For a patient assistance program that already exists, you could argue that TrumpRx hits zero. It doesn’t necessarily move the needle on what the reduced rates were before they were introduced versus after.”
