The Tamesis
Following last week Introducing TrumpRxPresident Trump has described the discount drug platform as “one of the most transformative health care initiatives of all time.” But experts and health care advocates say the limitations of the new service could hurt its value to consumers.
“These prices are definitely cheaper than list price, but only for cash patients or patients who don’t have enough insurance to cover these drugs,” Yunan Ji, a health policy expert at Georgetown University’s McDonald School of Business, told CBS News. “For a small portion of the market, it will result in meaningful savings, but it won’t change the entire drug pricing landscape for most Americans.”
Anthony Wright, executive director of the health care consumer advocacy group American Families, applauded the Trump administration’s efforts to lower drug prices for Americans. But TrumpRx is not a “one-stop shop” for consumers who want to compare drug prices and ensure the lowest cost, he said, describing the system as a “coupon catalog for existing programs from drug companies.”
Wright also said he would like to see TrumpRx offer a wider range of medications, including those used to treat cancer and other diseases (see below for a list of all drug discounts available through TrumpRx.)
The White House told CBS News the discount exists because the Trump administration negotiated so-called “most-favored-nation” agreements with pharmaceutical companies to lower prices. Under the policy, drugmakers must sell drugs to U.S. customers at the same price as other countries, including countries where drug costs are lower.
TrumpRx also works to provide the lowest prices for brand-name products, the White House noted, acknowledging that more affordable generics may be available elsewhere.
Who is TrumpRx suitable for?
One drawback of TrumpRx, Wright said, is that the discount is only available to patients who purchase the drug with cash. That means people would have to pay out of pocket for prescription drugs and wouldn’t be able to use health insurance, and those costs wouldn’t count toward consumer health plan deductibles.
“It’s very narrowly focused and is focused on people who are uninsured and who buy their prescription drugs with cash rather than through their health plan,” Wright told CBS News.
when TrumpRx Launches On February 5, the site listed more than 40 brand-name drugs, and the Trump administration said more discounted drugs would be added over time.
Merith Basey, CEO of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now (P4ADNow), a national patient organization dedicated to lowering drug prices, said the coupons offered by TrumpRx are not unique to the platform, noting that similar discounts are already available on the market.
To evaluate the savings through TrumpRx, the group compared the service to the same medications consumers would find through GoodRx, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based company that offers discounted drugs. P4ADNow found that TrumpRx was priced better than just eight drugs, as follows:
- Bevespi (chronic bronchitis) – 89% off with TrumpRx
- Cetrotide (fertility) – 93% off with TrumpRx
- Farxiga (Type 2 Diabetes) – 52% off with TrumpRx
- Genotropin (human growth hormone) – 60% off with TrumpRx
- Insulin Lispro (glycemic control) – 65% off with TrumpRx
- Ovidrel (fertility) – 67% off with TrumpRx
- Xigduo XR (Type 2 Diabetes) – 70% off with TrumpRx
- Zepbound (weight loss) – 72% off with TrumpRx
GoodRx offers the same deep discounts on 33 drugs listed on TrumpRx, while cheaper generic alternatives are offered on 15 TrumpRx drugs, according to the group’s analysis.
For example, Colestid, a cholesterol-lowering drug for people at risk for heart disease, costs $67.20 when purchased through TrumpRx, while a generic version of the drug costs $21.70.
Most insurance companies don’t cover weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. TrumpRx and GoodRx both offer Ozempic, which sells for $199 per 0.25 mg pen, with a price tag of more than $1,000.
The same goes for fertility drugs in general, including Gonal-F, which sells for $252 with a TrumpRx or GoodRx coupon, with a list price of nearly $1,200.
Get drug discounts with TrumpRx
Currently, TrumpRx offers discounts on a total of 43 medications, as follows:
- Abrilada Pen (Autoimmune) — TrumpRx Price: $207.60
- Airsupra (Respiratory) — TrumpRx Price: $201
- Azulfidine Tablets (Rheumatism) — TrumpRx Price: $99.60
- Azulfidine En Tabs (Rheumatism) — TrumpRx Price: $130.80
- Bevespi (Respiratory) — TrumpRx Price: $51
- Cetrotide (IVF) — TrumpRx Price: $22.50
- Chantix (Quit Smoking) — TrumpRx Price: $106.20
- Cleocin (antibiotic) — TrumpRx Price: $94.35
- Colestid (cholesterol) — TrumpRx Price: $127.91
- Cortef (inflammation) – TrumpRx Price: $45
- Cytomel (thyroid) — TrumpRx Price: $6
- Diflucan (antifungal) — TrumpRx Price: $14.06
- Duavee (Women’s Health) — TrumpRx Price: $30.30
- Estring (Women’s Health) – TrumpRx Price: $249
- Eucrisa (Dermatology) — TrumpRx Price: $158.48
- Farxiga (diabetes, cardiovascular) — TrumpRx Price: $181.59
- Genotropin (Human Growth Hormone) — TrumpRx Price: $89.67
- Gonal F (fertility) – TrumpRx Price: $168
- Insulin lispro (high blood sugar) – TrumpRx Price: $25
- Levoxyl (hypothyroidism) — TrumpRx Price: $35.10
- Lopid (cholesterol)—TrumpRx Price: $39.60
- Medrol (anti-inflammatory)—TrumpRx Price: $3.15
- Ngenla (Human Growth Hormone) – TrumpRx Price: $2,217
- Nicotrol (quit smoking) – TrumpRx Price: $271.16
- Ovidrel (fertility)—TrumpRx Price: $84
- Ozempic Pen (diabetes, weight loss) – TrumpRx Price: $199
- Premarin (Women’s Health) – TrumpRx Price: $99
- Premarin Vaginal Cream (Women’s Health) — TrumpRx Price: $236.65
- Prempro (Women’s Health) — TrumpRx Price: $98.84
- Pristiq (antidepressant) — TrumpRx Price: $200.10
- Protonix (Heartburn) — TrumpRx Price: $200.10
- Tikosyn (cardiovascular) — TrumpRx Price: $336
- Toviaz (Bladder Control) — TrumpRx Price: $43.50
- Vfend (antifungal) — TrumpRx Price: $306.98
- Viracept (antiviral drug) — TrumpRx Price: $607.20
- Wegovy (weight loss) – Pen TrumpRx Price: $199
- Wegovy Pills (Weight Loss) — TrumpRx Price: $149
- Xeljanz (rheumatism) – TrumpRx Price: $1,518
- Xigduo Xr (diabetes) — TrumpRx Price: $181.59
- Zarontin (anticonvulsant) — TrumpRx Price: $71.10
- Zavzpret (migraine treatment) — TrumpRx Price: $594.84
- Zepbound (weight loss, sleep apnea) — $299 at TrumpRx
- Zyvox (antibiotic) — TrumpRx Price: $122.74
