The UK-based pharma giant AstraZeneca agreed to lower its medicine prices in the US, President Donald Trump announced on Friday, following weeks of threats to impose steep tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals.
AstraZeneca “has committed to granting Americans significant discounts on its extensive catalogue of medicines,” Trump said during a press conference.
While Americans pay far more for their medicines than Europeans – on average 2.5 times more than in France – Trump said the company would now offer its products “at the same lowest price at which it sells them anywhere in the world.”
The move reflects the administration’s strategy of directly pressuring drugmakers through tariff threats.
In September, Trump announced that Washington would impose 100% tariffs on imports of innovative medicines and promised exemptions to companies that have signalled they will make new investments in manufacturing in the US. Trump gave no legal basis for the levies, and they have yet to be implemented.
The threat also came despite an August agreement with the EU that capped duties at 15%, which excluded generics and was linked to the outcome of a US investigation into drug imports under Section 232.
Trump announces new round of drug tariffs, muddying EU-US trade deal
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the US will impose 100% tariffs on…
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In Brussels, industry leaders under pressure have urged restraint, arguing that the US and the EU already have a trade agreement, and should work within that framework.
“Both sides should now continue discussions to determine how the EU can strengthen its support for global research and development costs, in a way that does not harm patients in the EU or the US,” said Nathalie Moll, director general of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).
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