President Trump’s new TrumpRx online platform is a key part of his plan to help lower drug costs for consumers, with some polls showing two-thirds of Americans report high health care costs as their chief financial concern.
Here’s what to know about TrumpRx, which launched Thursday and which the White House said in a fact sheet will provide “immediate relief” to patients across the U.S.
What is TrumpRx?
The White House said Trumprx.gov gives consumers “direct access to dramatically lower prices” on dozens of commonly used medications. The website doesn’t let users buy drugs directly, but rather directs people to drugmakers’ sites, where they can fill their prescriptions.
TrumpRx notes it only “displays discounted drug pricing offers” and does not sell medication directly to consumers.
“It’s a portal where someone can check if they can find a cheaper price, direct-to-consumer, from a drug manufacturer,” Kaye Pestaina, vice president and director of KFF’s patient and consumer protections program, told CBS News. “It’s not a storefront.”
To purchase a discounted medication, TrumpRx tells users to follow the instructions for each drug offer on the platform.
Who can use TrumpRx?
Anyone can use TrumpRx, provided they have a prescription. For now, however, the platform doesn’t accept insurance and is limited to patients who buy medications out of their own pocket.
“At this time, TrumpRx discounted pricing is only available for cash-paying patients,” the platform notes.
As a result, spending on drugs through TrumpRx won’t count toward a consumer’s insurance deductible.
Still, cheaper, direct-to-consumer options could benefit uninsured Americans, people with high deductibles and patients whose medications aren’t covered by their insurance.
“You should not be buying drugs anymore, going forward, without at least checking to see if those medications are available at these discounted prices,” Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said Thursday.
By contrast, Pestaina noted that consumers might also be able to find lower drug prices through their own health insurance. “It might be a good thing for some people, but for most folks they are paying less through insurance,” she said.
Exceptions to that might include GLP-1 medications for weight loss, where TrumpRX could lead to savings, Pestaina noted. “Your employer might not cover these kinds of drugs, or there could be limitations.”
For example, the White House fact sheet said TrumpRx offers Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pills for as little as $149 a month, down from $1,349. Consumers can also realize major savings on drugs used to treat infertility, according to the Trump administration.
Mr. Trump has urged Congress to pass “The Great Healthcare Plan,” which he introduced in January to lower health insurance costs. The proposal would “enable coverage of TrumpRx.gov purchases under health plans” and reduce medical insurance costs, according to the White House.
What drugs are offered?
Consumers can currently access 43 different drugs through TrumpRx for a range of conditions. For instance, users seeking fertility drugs can get an 83% discount on Gonal F, a medication containing a follicle-stimulating hormone, according to the platform.
“Fertility drug pricing could benefit a lot of people, because they aren’t typically covered by insurance, and TrumpRx offers discounts,” Merith Basey, CEO of Patients for Affordable Drugs Now, a patient advocacy group, told CBS News.
Late last year, the White House struck deals with more than a dozen drugmakers to participate in the coupon-like program, including AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly Genentech, Merck, Pfizer, and others.
The White House said it plans to strike deals with more drugmakers, expanding the list of discounted drugs available through TrumpRx.
The 43 drugs on offer, along with the advertised discounts:
- Abrilada pen (autoimmune) — TrumpRx price: $207.60
- Airsupra (respiratory) — TrumpRx price: $201
- Azulfidine Tabs (rheumatology) — TrumpRx price: $99.60
- Azulfidine En Tabs (rheumatology) — TrumpRx price: $130.80
- Bevespi (respiratory) — TrumpRx price: $51
- Cetrotide (IVF) — TrumpRx price: $22.50
- Chantix (smoking cessation) — TrumpRx price: $106.20
- Cleocin (antibiotic) — TrumpRx price: $94.35
- Colestid (cholesterol) — TrumpRx price: $127.91
- Cortef (inflammation) — TrumpRx price: $45
- Cytomel (thyroid) — TrumpRx price: $6
- Diflucan (antifungal) — TrumpRx price: $14.06
- Duavee (women’s health) — TrumpRx price: $30.30
- Estring (women’s health) — TrumpRx price: $249
- Eucrisa (dermatologic) — TrumpRx price: $158.48
- Farxiga (diabetes, cardiovascular) — TrumpRx price: $181.59
- Genotropin (human growth hormone) — TrumpRx price: $89.67
- Gonal F (fertility) — TrumpRx price: $168
- Insulin Lispro (high blood sugar) — TrumpRx price: $25
- Levoxyl (hypothyroidism) — TrumpRx price: $35.10
- Lopid (cholesterol) —TrumpRx price: $39.60
- Medrol (inflammation) —TrumpRx price: $3.15
- Ngenla (human growth hormone) — TrumpRx price: $2,217
- Nicotrol (smoking cessation) — TrumpRx price: $271.16
- Ovidrel (fertility) —TrumpRx price: $84
- Ozempic Pen (diabetes, weight loss) — TrumpRx price: $199
- Premarin (women’s health) — TrumpRx price: $99
- Premarin Vaginal Cream (women’s health) — TrumpRx price: $236.65
- Prempro (women’s health) — TrumpRx price: $98.84
- Pristiq (antidepressant) — TrumpRx price: $200.10
- Protonix (heartburn) — TrumpRx price: $200.10
- Tikosyn (cardiovascular) — TrumpRx price: $336
- Toviaz (bladder control) — TrumpRx price: $43.50
- Vfend (antifungal) — TrumpRx price: $306.98
- Viracept (antiviral) — TrumpRx price: $607.20
- Wegovy (weight loss) — Pen TrumpRx price: $199
- Wegovy Pill (weight loss) — TrumpRx price: $149
- Xeljanz (rheumatology) — TrumpRx price: $1,518
- Xigduo Xr (diabetes) — TrumpRx price: $181.59
- Zarontin (anticonvulsant) — TrumpRx price: $71.10
- Zavzpret (migraine treatment) — TrumpRx price: $594.84
- Zepbound (weight loss, sleep apnea) — TrumpRx price $299
- Zyvox (antibiotic) — TrumpRx price: $122.74
