Blog | 5/16/2025

Trump Administration Healthcare News

European governments scramble to interpret Trump's new drug pricing order

European governments are examining whether U.S. President Donald Trump can force them to pay more for prescription medicines, after he issued an executive order to lower U.S. drug prices, roiling the global pharmaceutical industry.
On Monday, Trump took aim at governments paying a fraction of what Americans have to shell out for their medicines, and directed the use of trade policy to force other nations to pay more for prescription drugs.
The Trump administration wants to reduce the gap between U.S. drug prices and those in other developed countries such as many in Europe, where prescription drugs cost, on average, one-third, opens new tab what they do in the United States.
Denmark's industry and business minister Morten Bodskov plans to meet with drugmakers based in his country to discuss the order. He did not give details about the meeting.
In the U.S., drug prices are shaped by complex negotiations involving pharmacy benefit managers that act as middlemen between drugmakers and employer clients and health insurers and have been criticised for inflating costs. In Europe, countries generally have public health systems that negotiate directly with manufacturers and keep costs down.
The European Commission, the EU executive, will assess the impact of Trump's order on European companies, a spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday.
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