Pharmas respond to Trump’s MFN threats with direct-to-patient programs

The Sept. 29 deadline set by President Donald Trump for 17 multinational pharmaceutical companies to make sweeping voluntary price concessions has passed, with none publicly agreeing to his demand for “most favored nation” pricing across all drugs sold to Medicaid, all new drug launches, or other requests.

Drugmakers are, however, embracing Trump’s call to adopt direct-to-patient (DTP) sales models that bypass PBMs and eliminate rebates and discounts. If widely implemented, these programs could narrow or eliminate the gap between list and net prices, squeezing PBM profits, reducing subsidies for health insurance premiums, and potentially lowering costs for consumers and payers...