President Donald Trump recently unveiled TrumpRx.gov, a federally operated website where individuals can buy prescription medications at discounted prices.

Pfizer said their drugs listed on the platform will offer savings of an average of 50%. The website indicates it is expected to launch in January 2026 and would point consumers to pharmaceutical companies’ direct-to-consumer websites to fill their orders. These website deals would be available for patients who are not using their health insurance. At this time, it’s unclear whether the website will be helpful for Americans covered by private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid.

The creation of TrumpRx.gov was part of a negotiated agreement between the administration and Pfizer, as the pharmaceutical company will invest $70 billion in domestic manufacturing facilities. This was the first deal related to the Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing, and the president said similar deals with other drugmakers are in the works. In fact, AstraZeneca became the second drugmaker to enter a deal and agree to offer its drugs at a discount of up to 80% off list prices through TrumpRx.

In general, the TrumpRx website is a new drug pricing initiative defined by these two pillars:

1. A government-run portal aimed at steering patients directly to manufacturers’ direct-to-consumer websites to purchase medications without insurance (out-of-pocket at discounted rates set by the government)
2. Trade and pricing tactics aimed at forcing concessions from drug manufacturers

Industry Feedback

An anonymous government official told NPR that the discounts would only apply to people paying out of pocket, and because they’re tied to the drugs’ high list prices, the reduced rates might still leave many patients paying more than they would through their insurance. The American Journal of Managed Care also expressed concerns from analysts about the plan’s viability. It noted that the MFN order driving TrumpRx is likely to face legal challenges, as a similar effort during Trump’s first term was blocked in court. Other analysts have also shared that, regardless of impact, this is forcing conversations about greater price transparency around pharmaceuticals and health care in general.

Employer Takeaway

The vast majority of Americans have health insurance and likely won’t need to use TrumpRx. Implications of MFN are still unclear and, in some cases, a medication may be cheaper with insurance. If employer plan participants buy drugs from TrumpRx instead of from ordinary pharmacies, they might still send the receipts to the plans and ask for reimbursement. However, depending on how the direct purchasing platform works and what kind of connections it does (or doesn’t have) to pharmaceutical distribution, employers and plan administrators may not hear about the prescriptions until the reimbursement requests show up.

Employers should continue to monitor prescription drug changes. We’ll keep you updated with any notable developments.

Contact SSG if you would like to speak to a Benefits Advisor about re-evaluating your company benefits.