Trump demands release of COVID drug results while warning of sweeping pharmaceutical tariffs
Pharmaceutical companies face new uncertainty as US President Donald Trump demands immediate transparency on COVID drug data while signalling plans for steep tariffs that could reshape global supply chains.
According to AP News, Trump has pledged to impose duties of up to 200 percent on imported pharmaceuticals, an industry largely spared in his previous tariff campaigns.
A recent US-European trade deal already introduced a 15 percent tariff on some medicines.
Analysts warned that even a 25 percent levy could raise US drug prices by 10 to 14 percent once stockpiles run out.
ING economist Diederik Stadig noted that consumers, particularly lower-income households and seniors, would feel the direct impact through prescription costs and higher insurance premiums.
Drugmakers are preparing for disruption.
AP News reported that Roche plans to invest US$50bn to expand US operations, while Johnson & Johnson pledged US$55bn over four years with the aim of supplying the domestic market from within the country.
However, experts pointed out that most medicines still rely on imported active ingredients, with 97 percent of antibiotics and 92 percent of antivirals containing at least one foreign-sourced component.
Brookings Institution analyst Marta Wosińska warned that generic drugmakers, who provide 92 percent of prescriptions in the US, may struggle most under tariffs, risking shortages.
While pressing for tariff changes, Trump also demanded data transparency from pharmaceutical firms.
Reuters reported that in a Truth Social post he wrote, “With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW.”
Trump claimed he had seen “extraordinary” information from Pfizer and others that had not been released publicly.
NBC News added that he called on companies to provide their results both to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the public, though he did not specify whether he referred to vaccines or antivirals such as Paxlovid.
The New York Post noted that Trump linked his call to Operation Warp Speed, the 2020 public-private initiative that fast-tracked vaccine development, describing it as potentially “brilliant.”
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy supported Trump’s call for “radical transparency,” praising the project as a major achievement.
The debate comes amid internal turmoil within US health agencies.
The New York Post reported that CDC Director Susan Monarez was dismissed last week, triggering senior resignations in protest.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vocal vaccine sceptic, had earlier restricted new COVID shot eligibility to adults 65 and older and people with high-risk conditions.
