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President Donald Trump officially launched the website TrumpRx.gov this Thursday, a platform that promises to offer some of the most popular medications on the U.S. market at “the lowest prices in the world.”
The launch came after months of announcements and delays, and marks one of the president's most ambitious efforts in his crusade to reduce the cost of medications in the United States, one of the main concerns for voters ahead of the midterm elections.
What is TrumpRx.gov and what does it offer?
Contrary to what one might assume, TrumpRx.gov is not an online pharmacy, nor does it allow purchases directly from the government website.
It is an intermediary platform that directs patients to the direct-to-consumer sales pages of pharmaceutical manufacturers, where they can purchase medications at reduced prices or download discount coupons for use at pharmacies.
Currently, the platform offers access to 43 brand-name medications -although the list is expected to grow- including highly sought-after treatments like Ozempic and Wegovy, used for type 2 diabetes and also popularized as weight loss drugs.
“They are going to save a fortune,” Trump affirmed at the presentation event from the White House.
What medications are available and at what price?
Notable examples highlighted by the administration include:
-Ozempic (Novo Nordisk): dropped from 1,028 to 350 dollars.
-Gonal-F, used in fertility treatments: now at $252, 83% cheaper than its usual price.
-Wegovy (Novo Nordisk): starting at $149 per month.
-Zepbound (Eli Lilly): starting at $299 per month.
-Bevespi (AstraZeneca): 51 dollars.
-Xeljanz (Pfizer): $1,518.30, medication for rheumatoid arthritis.
However, not all the advertised medications are yet available on the site, such as Januvia (Merck) for diabetes, which was announced at $100 but was not available at the time of the launch.
Why this initiative?
The idea behind TrumpRx is part of a broader health policy initiative aimed at portraying the Trump administration as a committed actor in reducing the cost of living for American families.
"Americans have long been paying the highest drug prices anywhere in the world... the American people were, in effect, subsidizing the cost of medications for everyone," stated the president.
The portal is supported by a series of agreements negotiated with more than 15 pharmaceutical companies, including giants like Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Merck, and Novo Nordisk, to provide medications at the lowest available price in developed countries, a measure framed within the "Most Favored Nation" policy.
Will it really work to reduce costs?
Although Trump has promoted the initiative as "one of the most transformative of all time," public health experts have responded with skepticism.
To begin with, the site is only useful for patients willing to pay in cash, as it does not operate through insurance providers.
This excludes the majority of Americans, whose medical coverage comes from their employers or from programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
“TrumpRx could improve access and affordability for a very small number of people,” said Rena Conti, a professor of health policy at Boston University, in statements reported by the AP agency.
In addition, the discounts offered—which range from 33% to 93%—are based on the list prices, which do not always reflect what patients ultimately pay with insurance.
In many cases, a insured patient's copayment could be lower than the price at TrumpRx.
The site even warns users to check if their insurance offers a lower cost.
Who benefits the most?
The biggest beneficiaries appear to be patients without insurance or those with high annual deductibles.
For these last ones, paying directly could represent a savings, although that will depend on whether insurers count those cash payments towards their deductibles. In some cases, such as with Express Scripts, it has already been agreed that these payments will indeed be considered for the out-of-pocket maximums, although regulatory changes are required.
In contrast, those with low-deductible insurance or medications already covered are unlikely to find economic advantages in using TrumpRx.
Medications for obesity, a particular case
The success of TrumpRx could be linked to the rise of weight loss medications like Wegovy and Zepbound, which are not widely covered by health insurance. As a result, many patients were already turning to the pharmaceutical companies' portals even before the official launch of the government site.
In the case of Novo Nordisk, 30% of Wegovy prescriptions are processed through its direct channel, NovoCare.
Eli Lilly reported that over one million people used its LillyDirect platform in 2025, and that one third of new treatments with Zepbound were initiated through that channel.
What risks does it pose?
Experts also warn about potential side effects of the rise of direct channels:
-Insurance companies may stop covering certain medications, arguing that patients already have direct access.
Some medications included in TrumpRx have cheaper generic alternatives or are already available at similar prices in discount pharmacies like GoodRx.
Professor Stacie Dusetzina from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center warned that "even with significant discounts on brand-name medications, the final prices are still not truly affordable for the average person."
For example, although it is promoted that Ozempic costs 350 dollars, in several countries its price is below 100 dollars, which raises doubts that the United States is truly offering "the lowest prices in the world," as claimed by TrumpRx.
A political bet in a context of inflation
The creation of TrumpRx occurs in a context of high living costs in the United States, with inflation impacting areas such as housing, food, and services.
Trump has focused his message on the fact that his administration will not allow Americans to continue subsidizing drug prices for the rest of the world.
With this portal, the president aims to strengthen his image as a reformer in public health, a historically challenging area for Republicans. However, it remains to be seen whether the benefits of TrumpRx will reach a significant portion of the voters.
"Never before has there been anything like this," declared Trump. However, many experts are still waiting to see if this model is truly viable in the long term.
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