News and Reports | April 2, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC – Following President Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs of up to 100% on imported brand-name prescription drugs and their ingredients, Patients For Affordable Drugs CEO Merith Basey released the following statement:
“While these tariffs aim to pressure pharmaceutical corporations into U.S. manufacturing and Most Favored Nation agreements, the current MFN deals remain opaque and voluntary, and have not delivered meaningful savings for the vast majority of American patients. There’s a real risk these tariffs will drive up costs and create more uncertainty for millions of patients already struggling to afford their medications.”
Under the policy, tariffs are set to take effect July 31, 2026, with companies able to avoid or reduce them by entering into agreements that include MFN pricing and commitments to onshore manufacturing in the United States. Companies that agree to both may receive full tariff exemptions through January 20, 2029, while those that only commit to onshoring would face a 20% tariff.
To date, this approach has not delivered for patients. Only a limited number of companies have reached MFN agreements, covering a relatively small number of drugs, and few patients have accessed lower prices through TrumpRx. The terms of these deals remain largely undisclosed, making it difficult to assess their true benefit to patients or taxpayers, and raising questions about how they interact with other efforts to lower prices under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center (CMMI).
At the same time, onshoring manufacturing is a long-term goal that does not address the immediate affordability crisis. With a majority of Americans already worried about the cost of their prescriptions, there is a significant risk that new tariffs will increase costs in the near term – costs that are unlikely to be absorbed by pharmaceutical companies and instead passed on to patients and taxpayers.
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Patients For Affordable Drugs is the only national patient advocacy organization focused exclusively on policies that lower prescription drug prices. We empower and mobilize patients by amplifying their experiences with high drug prices to hold those in power to account and fight to shape and achieve system-changing policies that make prescription drugs affordable for all people in the United States. P4AD does not accept funding from organizations that profit from the development and distribution of drugs. To learn more, visit PatientsForAffordableDrugs.org.