AstraZeneca announced a deal with the U.S. government to lower drug prices for American patients last Friday. According to the press release, AstraZeneca agreed “to a range of measures which will enable American patients to access medicines at prices that are equalized with those available in wealthy countries.”
AstraZeneca logo, The Discovery Centre (DISC) Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images for AstraZeneca
Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will provide Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) sales to eligible patients with prescriptions for chronic diseases at up to 80% discount off list prices. The company will participate in the TrumpRx.gov direct purchasing program, which is set to launch next year.
AstraZeneca also reached an agreement with the Department of Commerce to delay Section 232 tariffs for three years, during which time the company will onshore its medicine manufacturing.
“This new approach helps safeguard America’s pioneering role as a global powerhouse in innovation and developing the next generation of medicines. It is now essential other wealthy countries step up their contribution to fund innovation,” said AstraZeneca CEO, Pascal Soriot.
AstraZeneca invests in U.S. manufacturing
Last Thursday, AstraZeneca broke ground on a new manufacturing facility in Virginia, which will support the company’s weight management and metabolic portfolio as well as the antibody drug conjugate cancer pipeline. AstraZeneca is also looking to open two more manufacturing facilities, in Maryland and Massachusetts, next year.
The company’s newly expanded manufacturing facility in Texas was opened today. The plant will double the production of Lokelma, the number one branded treatment for high potassium. Both this location and the new construction in Virginia are part of AstraZeneca’s $50 billion investment in U.S. R&D, which was announced in July. The company currently has 19 sites in the U.S.
The Texas location is the sole global manufacturing facility of Lokelma, delivering the drug to more than 50 countries.
Trump Rx
Starting in January 2026, TrumpRx will connect patients directly with the best drug prices from manufacturers, eliminating third-party markups. The program was announced by an executive order last month. The website will serve as a search portal, not an online store, and will direct consumers to the manufacturer’s DTC platforms to make their purchases.
According to a 2024 report by the RAND Corporation, Americans pay almost three times more on average for medicine than 33 other high-income countries. The TrumpRx program is designed to close this gap.
Pfizer was the first pharmaceutical company to commit to the program formally. The company stated that savings will be as high as 85% for some treatments. Pfizer also agreed to a three-year grace period during which its products will not be taxed under Section 232 tariffs, provided it invests further in manufacturing in the U.S.
Filed Under: Cardiovascular, Oncology
