President vows end to the “great American rip-off” as Pfizer slashes costs, direct-to-consumer sales coming online.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday declared a breakthrough in his long fight with Big Pharma, announcing that Pfizer will sell its prescription drugs in the United States at “Most Favored Nation” pricing.
The deal came just one day after his administration forced pharmaceutical companies to respond to a sweeping executive order on drug costs.
Drugmakers had until Sept. 29 to comply with the directive, a shot across the bow that demanded U.S. patients pay no more than what other developed nations pay, that direct-to-consumer options be opened, and that companies stop the practice of charging Americans more while offering discounts abroad.
“Pfizer is committing to offer all of their prescription medications to Medicaid. It will be at the most favored nation’s prices. It’s going to have a huge impact on bringing Medicaid costs down like nothing else,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, presenting the moment as a turning of the tide.
The president added that Pfizer will also make some of its most popular medications available directly to all consumers at deep discounts, through a government-run website, a dramatic step aimed at cutting out the middlemen who have long driven prices upward.
Food and Drug Administration chief Dr. Marty Makary underscored the significance. Trump’s deal with Pfizer, he said, “marks the beginning of the end of the great American rip-off.”
“The growth of drug spending, that is, the increase in drug pricing, is the fastest and biggest-increasing area of health care spending. So today’s announcement has incredible implications for health care spending in the United States,” Makary told reporters.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt cast the development as a historic political victory.
“This is a consequential moment for our country. Drug prices WILL be lower for everyday Americans, thanks to the negotiating prowess and determination of President Donald J. Trump. Democrats have been wanting to do this for decades. The Trump Administration has delivered.”
This is a consequential moment for our country. Drug prices WILL be lower for everyday Americans, thanks to the negotiating prowess and determination of President Donald J. Trump. Democrats have been wanting to do this for decades. The Trump Administration has delivered. https://t.co/tczYsGljgP
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) September 30, 2025
