AstraZeneca strikes drug pricing agreement with U.S. Government AstraZeneca announced an agreement with the U.S. government to lower the cost of the company’s prescription medicines on October 10th. Public details of the deal mirror the terms of the “most favored nation” agreement Pfizer struck with the Trump administration last month, but full financial details remain confidential. AstraZeneca, based in the United Kingdom, is the first company outside the United States to strike a deal of this nature with the U.S. According to a company press release, AstraZeneca will provide direct-to-consumer sales to eligible patients with prescriptions for chronic diseases at a discount of up to 80% off list prices. The company will also participate in the TrumpRx.gov direct purchasing platform and invest approximately $50 billion in U.S. medicines manufacturing and R&D. The agreement will exempt AstraZeneca from Section 232 tariffs for three years, during which AstraZeneca will fully onshore American medicines manufacturing. According to a White House fact sheet, in addition to discounts on direct-to-consumer medicines, every state’s Medicaid program in the country will have access to the “most favored nation” pricing on all AstraZeneca medicines. All new medicines introduced to the American market will be made available at similarly discounted rates. “Every year AstraZeneca treats millions of Americans living with cancer and chronic diseases and, as a result of today’s agreement, many patients will access life-changing medicines at lower prices,” said Pascal Soriot, CEO, AstraZeneca, in the release. “This new approach also 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.” “Today, AstraZeneca is committing to offer all of their prescriptions to Medicaid at Most Favored Nation prices,” said President Trump during a White House announcement. “In other words, the lowest price anywhere in the world, that’s what we get. A move that will save American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year.” NEWS
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