When I actually read the Executive Order, a lot of it talks about asking drug companies to raise the drug prices in other countries. The sentiment of the Executive Order is not “I must win” as much as “everyone else must lose”. The presented premise of the Executive Order is that the US should pay the lowest drug prices in the world and part of that premise is asking drugs companies to raise prices in other countries. The Executive Order creates a false notion that drug companies need to have a minimum profit and that by increasing prices in other countries, then US drug prices will have to fall. Of course this is not how profits have ever worked. Companies have never said “we’re making too much profits, let’s lower our prices.” It’s all laissez-faire nonsense.
At the White House meeting Trump threaten to put tariffs on drug companies which offer lower drug prices to other countries. I’m not even sure how this could work because many drug patents are owned by different companies in other countries.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/05/delivering-most-favored-nation-prescription-drug-pricing-to-american-patients/
https://archive.is/rw5x9
When I actually read the Executive Order, a lot of it talks about asking drug companies to raise the drug prices in other countries. The sentiment of the Executive Order is not “I must win” as much as “everyone else must lose”. The presented premise of the Executive Order is that the US should pay the lowest drug prices in the world and part of that premise is asking drugs companies to raise prices in other countries. The Executive Order creates a false notion that drug companies need to have a minimum profit and that by increasing prices in other countries, then US drug prices will have to fall. Of course this is not how profits have ever worked. Companies have never said “we’re making too much profits, let’s lower our prices.” It’s all laissez-faire nonsense.
At the White House meeting Trump threaten to put tariffs on drug companies which offer lower drug prices to other countries. I’m not even sure how this could work because many drug patents are owned by different companies in other countries.
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/trump-says-he-will-cut-drug-prices-by-59-2025-05-12/