As President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies its campaign to align US drug prices with global levels, AstraZeneca has become the latest pharmaceutical giant to sign on. The agreement, unveiled at a White House ceremony, commits the company to offering discounts on prescription medicines and major new investment in US manufacturing.
Under the deal, AstraZeneca will introduce Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) pricing for eligible patients, offering up to 80% off list prices. The company will also participate in the TrumpRx.gov platform, which allows patients to purchase medicines directly at reduced cash prices.
Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca, said the initiative would make “life-changing medicines” more accessible, adding that it would “help safeguard America’s pioneering role as a global powerhouse in innovation”.
$50bn US investment and tariff relief
In exchange, the US Department of Commerce will delay the proposed tariffs on AstraZeneca’s pharmaceutical imports for three years. This will give the company time to onshore production and expand its research presence. AstraZeneca has pledged to invest $50bn over five years in US facilities, targeting $80bn in total revenue by 2030, half of which it expects to generate domestically.
Trump’s most-favoured-nation pricing plan
The deal forms part of Trump’s “most-favoured-nation” pricing strategy, first announced in May 2025, which aims to peg US drug prices to those in other wealthy countries. “For many years, Americans have paid the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, by far,” Trump said during the announcement. A RAND study found that US drug prices were 2.78 times higher on average than those in 33 comparable nations, underlining the scale of the issue the plan seeks to address.
Industry response and future outlook
Pfizer was the first to join Trump’s initiative, offering discounts of up to 85% through TrumpRx, while Amgen recently launched AmgenNow, providing 60% off its cholesterol drug evolocumab. The coming months will reveal whether more companies follow their lead, and whether lower prices for patients can be sustained without stifling R&D investment.
