Not many but Don Junior likely to benefit
Donald Trump on February 5 launched a website, branded with his name, in a purported effort to
help patients buy prescription drugs at lower prices.
This is its actual logo. Always classy!
But experts, watchdog groups, and Democratic lawmakers
said TrumpRx will
likely do little for consumers—or for the broader goal of bringing down
exorbitant medicine costs—while further enriching Big Pharma and
potentially lining the pockets of his eldest son, Donald
Trump Jr.
TrumpRx.gov, launched in partnership with pharmaceutical giants, points
users to direct-to-patient sales platforms hosted by drug companies to
facilitate the purchase of an extremely limited selection of medications. For
example, TrumpRx’s listing
for Farxiga links users to AstraZeneca Direct, where patients can pay
out of pocket for the type 2 diabetes medication.
Donald
Trump Jr. is on the board of BlinkRx, a prescription drug platform
that stands to benefit from the Trump administration’s promotion of
direct-to-patient medicine sales. In December, the president’s son reportedly met with top drug company executives and
administration officials responsible for regulating the pharmaceutical
industry—a gathering hosted by BlinkRx.
Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), the top Democrat on the House
Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a statement Thursday that TrumpRx “not only
threatens patients’ health, safety, and privacy, but also likely
includes kickback schemes designed to enrich President Trump, his family, and
their friends.”
“TrumpRx has been shrouded in secrecy from the beginning because the administration clearly does not want anyone to know it likely won’t save patients money,” said Pallone. “However, we do know Trump only slaps his name on things when there’s something in it for him.”
Last week, a group of Democratic senators sent a letter to
the inspector general of the US Department of Health and
Human Services warning that “without stricter safeguards before its
official launch, TrumpRx could be used as a potential vehicle for unlawful
kickback schemes that result in excessive costs for the federal government.”
In addition to sending users to direct-to-patient sales
sites, TrumpRx offers Trump-branded coupons for some medications. To obtain a
coupon, site users must accept terms that state: “You agree that by redeeming this
coupon, you (and anyone else acting on your behalf) agree not to seek
reimbursement from any insurance plan for out-of-pocket costs for prescriptions
purchased with this coupon. You also agree not to count the cost of
prescriptions toward your deductible or true out-of-pocket costs.”
The Washington Post reported that pharmaceutical companies “have agreed to
list their drugs on TrumpRx.gov.”
Experts warned that patients who use TrumpRx could end up
paying more for their medications than if they pursued other available options.
“TrumpRx’s offerings are very limited, fewer than 50 drugs
listed, and most are niche products used by few patients,” Rena Conti, an
associate professor at Boston University, told ABC
News. “Many are available in generic form at even lower prices or already
available to consumers at low or even very low prices elsewhere. This suggests
it pays for consumers to check their insurance coverage and ask their regular
doctor or pharmacist before they use this service.”
Peter Maybarduk, access to medicines director at Public Citizen,
offered a more scathing assessment of TrumpRx, saying the president has
“dressed up yet another corporate giveaway as a boon to patients.”
“Most patients will do better through their insurance than
through TrumpRx. Many patients without insurance will not be able to afford
drugmakers’ still-high prices funneled through TrumpRx,” said Maybarduk. “But
drugmakers certainly will appreciate TrumpRx’s free promotion of their
products, delivered with a false veneer of price accountability. TrumpRx is
designed to help Big Pharma keep its prices high by diluting the bargaining
power of insurance companies, weakening an important check on pharma.”
“TrumpRx also appears to be another example of this
president’s repeated corruption,”
he continued. “Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., sits on the board of BlinkRx, a
key business that may benefit financially from TrumpRx. Getting serious about
medicine affordability means getting serious about challenging Big Pharma. For
all Trump’s talk, Big Pharma is getting a lot of special favors from this White House, while
patients still are waiting. Real drug price reform doesn’t look like a
website.”
Throughout his second White House term, Trump has made outlandish promises to cut drug costs and hosted top
executives at the White House to tout splashy deals—only for
pharmaceutical giants to continue jacking up prices. Reuters reported last month that drugmakers planned to “raise
US prices on at least 350 branded medications, including vaccines against
Covid, RSV, and shingles and blockbuster cancer treatment Ibrance” in 2026.
Merith Basey, CEO of Patients for Affordable Drugs Now, said
in a statement that the Trump administration’s “voluntary agreements” with drug
companies “lack clear enforcement mechanisms and still put the power to set and
increase prices firmly in the hands of pharmaceutical corporations.”
“Patients in our community will soon learn if they can
reliably access these discounts at the pharmacy counter, where the program will
ultimately be tested and where affordability matters most,” Basey said of
TrumpRx.
