Prescription Drug Pricing

NPR reports that all 16 pharmaceutical companies that struck 'most favored nation' pricing agreements with the Trump administration in recent months still raised list prices on some of their products in early January 2026, with 46brooklyn data showing hikes on 872 brand‑name drugs and a median increase of 4% — essentially identical to prior years. The confidential deals, which the White House sold as a way to lower U.S. prices and force other rich countries to pay more, appear to be narrowly focused on extra Medicaid discounts, launch‑price pledges for some future drugs overseas, and limited cash discounts via a new TrumpRx.gov website, leaving most existing products and insured patients unaffected. A White House spokesperson now downplays list prices as "not important," even though they remain the starting point for negotiations with insurers and pharmacy benefit managers and help determine what patients pay at the pharmacy counter. CMS chief Mehmet Oz is pitching Trump’s Great Healthcare Plan as a way to 'codify' the one‑off drug deals, but independent health‑policy experts quoted in the piece say the agreements are unlikely to materially change what most Americans or their health plans pay for medicines. The story underscores a growing gap between the administration’s rhetoric on drug‑price relief and on‑the‑ground pricing behavior by major manufacturers.