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Pharmaceutical giants are pivoting toward direct-to-consumer sales and offering steep drug discounts in the United States after President Donald Trump called for lower prescription prices and reduced reliance on “middlemen” such as insurers and pharmacy benefit managers. The move comes ahead of the Trump administration’s planned TrumpRx.gov launch in early 2026 — a federal website that will feature reduced drug prices.
U.S. patients currently pay nearly three times more for medicines than those in other developed countries. Following Trump’s July letters to 17 major firms demanding price cuts, several have responded with new pricing and sales models.
AbbVie announced it will launch its ovarian cancer drug Elahere in the UK at the same U.S. price, aligning with Trump’s “most-favored-nation” pricing policy. AstraZeneca struck a deal with the administration to sell select drugs at steep discounts through Medicaid and TrumpRx.gov, with up to 80% price reductions on some medicines. Bristol-Myers Squibb will cut prices on its blood clot drug Eliquis and plaque psoriasis treatment Sotyktu.
Eli Lilly began shipping high-dose Zepbound directly to consumers, while Novo Nordisk partnered with telehealth providers like GoodRx, Hims & Hers, and Ro to offer Ozempic and Wegovy to cash-paying patients. Pfizer also agreed to lower Medicaid prices to match global rates and will invest $70 billion in U.S. R&D in return for tariff relief.
Sanofi introduced a $35 monthly insulin cap for all U.S. patients, and Roche is exploring direct sales to consumers. Women’s telehealth platform Wisp expanded to offer weight-loss drugs from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk with home delivery. Zealand Pharma is also weighing a similar model for its experimental obesity treatment.
Industry group PhRMA plans to launch AmericasMedicines.com in January, helping patients buy directly from manufacturers — signaling a major shift toward affordability and accessibility in the U.S. drug market.
