The Trump administration has widened its most-favored-nation (MFN) drug pricing programme by signing nine fresh manufacturers into the initiative, taking the total roster of participating companies to 26. India’s Sun Pharma features on the new list alongside Alcon, Astellas Pharma, BeOne Medicines, BridgeBio, CSL, Kyowa Kirin, Teva Pharmaceuticals and UCB. The announcement was made at an Oval Office event on 31st August, with the White House stating that the combined group now accounts for roughly 89 percent of the branded drug market in the United States.
Under the arrangement, the nine companies will supply medicines to state Medicaid programmes at rates aligned with the lowest prices charged in other developed economies, while any new products they launch will carry similar most-favoured pricing for the broader U.S. market. The therapy areas touched by the deal span hemophilia, Parkinson’s disease, macular degeneration, glaucoma, liver disease, dermatology and oncology. Collectively, the nine firms have pledged over 19 billion dollars toward domestic manufacturing capacity, and several are contributing active pharmaceutical ingredients to a national strategic reserve. Sun Pharma’s share of that commitment includes stockpiling the antibiotics clindamycin and doxycycline for U.S. emergency supply purposes.
Administration officials linked the deal to broader affordability trends, citing recent consumer price data showing prescription drug costs falling for a second straight month and posting their sharpest annual decline in over six decades. The White House credited the MFN agreements, together with its TrumpRx direct-purchase platform, for the downward trend, and indicated further deals with the remaining manufacturers outside the current group are expected to follow.
Written By: Sayan Das
Graphics by: Pramit Hazra
