TrumpRx Lets Big Pharma Off the Hook
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This evening, President Trump is expected to announce the launch of TrumpRx – a direct-to-consumer website that he claims will lower prescription drug costs in the U.S.
Public Citizen Access to Medicines Director Peter Maybarduk issued the following statement:
“Trump 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.
“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. 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.”