By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Despite President Trump’s assertions that his deals with drugmakers would lower prescription drug prices, a Senate Democratic report indicates prices have continued to rise, with some medications experiencing sharp increases. Companies that entered into agreements with the administration have reportedly raised the cost of hundreds of drugs and launched new ones at an average annual price of $353,000. These price hikes affect critical treatments such as gene therapies and cancer medications, while the companies themselves have seen significant profit increases. The report raises concerns about the effectiveness and transparency of the administration’s pricing strategies, with critics arguing that these efforts may have primarily benefited drug companies rather than consumers.
Read the original article here
It appears that despite promises and purported deals made during the Trump administration aimed at lowering prescription drug costs, a recent Senate Democratic report suggests that drugmakers have continued to raise prices on hundreds of medications. This finding is particularly striking, as it indicates that the intended outcomes of these agreements, at least from the perspective of consumer savings, may not have materialized as hoped. The report highlights instances where prominent drugs saw significant price increases, even as companies were engaged in negotiations or had formalized arrangements with the former administration.
For example, the report points to Keytruda, a vital cancer treatment from Merck, which experienced a substantial price hike. Its list price climbed by 6%, reaching approximately $210,000 annually in the United States. This figure stands in stark contrast to the prices of the same medication in countries like Japan, where it costs around $37,900 per year, and France, at about $88,100. Similarly, Novartis’s Kesimpta, a medication for multiple sclerosis, saw its annual price increase by nearly $10,500, bringing its yearly cost to $141,000 in the U.S. The report contrasts this with the significantly lower annual costs in Germany ($17,300) and Canada ($23,500). Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo, another immunotherapy drug, also experienced a price rise of 4%, pushing its annual list price to $260,000, more than double the cost in countries like France ($90,300) and the United Kingdom ($113,000).
The comprehensive report, released by Senator Bernie Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, paints a picture of ongoing price escalations across a wide spectrum of medications. It found that the very companies that entered into drug pricing agreements with the Trump administration have subsequently raised the costs of hundreds of drugs. Furthermore, the report indicates that these companies have introduced new medications, many of them costly gene therapies, cancer treatments, and multiple sclerosis drugs, with launch prices averaging an astonishing $353,000 per year.
Beyond price hikes on existing drugs and the introduction of new, expensive ones, the report also sheds light on the profitability of these pharmaceutical companies. It asserts that the companies that engaged in these deals with the Trump administration have experienced significant profit growth during his second term. The report states that in 2025, these companies collectively earned $177 billion in profits, a considerable increase from the $107 billion reported the previous year. This substantial surge in profits, occurring concurrently with reported price increases, raises questions about the actual impact of the administration’s drug pricing initiatives on consumers.
Experts in drug pricing have noted that the agreements made during the Trump era likely did not encompass a comprehensive commitment to lowering prices across a company’s entire drug portfolio. Antonio Ciaccia, CEO of 46brooklyn, an organization dedicated to tracking drug pricing in the U.S., suggests that for many drugs not specifically included in these deals, it has been business as usual for the pharmaceutical companies. He implies that the reported decline in average brand-name list prices in a recent year was more attributable to policies enacted by the Biden administration, such as Medicare drug pricing negotiations, rather than the prior Trump-era agreements.
The findings of the Senate report suggest a disconnect between the stated intentions of the Trump administration’s drug pricing initiatives and the subsequent actions of the pharmaceutical industry. While the administration may have sought to secure favorable deals, the report implies that drugmakers found ways to continue their pricing strategies, including substantial increases on existing medications and the introduction of new, high-cost therapies. This situation leaves many consumers still facing the challenge of affording essential medications, despite the previous administration’s efforts to address the issue. The report’s revelations underscore the complexities of drug pricing in the United States and the ongoing debate about how to ensure affordability and accessibility for patients.