President Donald Trump's drug website promises Americans will pay the "lowest prices on prescription medications in the developed world."
But a new analysis comparing 32 brand-name drug prices on TrumpRx.gov to amounts charged by peer nations found the Trump's signature drug-pricing website has delivered mixed results.
TrumpRx prices for 17 drugs are lower than the average prices in comparable nations. For 15 drugs, TrumpRx's prices are higher than averages in 11 peer countries with advanced economies, according to an analysis by KFF, a health policy nonprofit.
In Oval Office announcements, Trump has repeatedly said Americans would pay the lowest pricesfor prescription drugs under his "most favored nation" deals with large pharmaceutical companies.
Meanwhile, he's claimed other nations that have historically paid less than Americans for brand-name pharmaceuticals would pay more.
While Trump has wielded the threat of tariffs to negotiate cheaper-priced drugs for consumers and state Medicaid programs, KFF's analysis shows consumers can't count on cheaper prices.
"The bottom line, this means that there's no guarantee for patients that the price they will face for a given brand name drug on TrumpRx is lower than what the drug's price will be in another country," said Juliette Cubanski, a KFF vice president and director of the program on Medicare policy.
How does TrumpRx stack up against drug prices in peer nations?
KFF compared TrumpRx's listed prices to amounts charged by Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. KFF's analysis included only brand name drugs carried by the U.S. and these nations without generic versions.
The 17 lower-priced TrumpRx drugs were 1% to 63% less expensive than what peer nations charged on average, KFF said. Americans get the biggest discount on the blood cancer drug Rydapt, which TrumpRx lists for $2,909 compared to an average of $7,877 in peer nations.
Among the 15 drugs that were priced higher on TrumpRx, the average price was 262% higher than what peers charged.
The rheumatoid arthritis drug Enbrel is $2,725 in the United States, compared to the peer average price of $641. TrumpRx lists the vaginal cream Premarin for $237 − more than 10 times higher than what peer countries charge, KFF said.
Americans also pay more for GLP-1 drugs, the popular class of weight-loss medications also used to treat diabetes and other conditions. Ozempic pen, prescribed for diabetes, is listed for $349 on TrumpRx, more than double the $126 average in other nations. Zepbound KwikPen doses cost U.S. consumers $449 compared to the $309 average in peer nations.
TrumpRx is marketed to U.S. cash-paying consumers and directs users to drug manufacturers' websites or coupons that can be used at pharmacies. The site doesn't process insurance claims, and most people use their health insurance plan's drug benefits when filling prescriptions.
In a separate program for older adults, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in July launched the GLP-1 Bridge program for seniors who seek prescription weight loss medications. Medicare recipients who quality for the medications pay a monthly $50 copay, and Medicare covers the rest.
Senate Democrats have repeatedly demanded that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy make public details of the agreements with pharmaceutical companies that have reached most-favored-nation deals.
On Sept. 19, the nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen obtained public most-favored-nation agreements the Trump administration negotiated with Pfizer and Eli Lilly. The heavily redacted documents, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and a follow-up lawsuit, "reveal concerning terms that will help facilitate pharma companies charging more for drugs abroad or discontinuing supplying drugs in other countries so that they can continue to charge U.S. customers high prices," Public Citizen said in news release.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: TrumpRx claims the world's lowest drug prices. A new report raises doubts
