Turkey and Pfizer announce agreement to reduce drug prices
US President Trump and Pfizer announced that they have reached an agreement to lower the prices of some drugs sold in the US. Pfizer will reduce the prices of some drugs in the US, in exchange for a three-year tariff exemption.
US President Trump and Pfizer's CEO announced on Tuesday that they had reached an agreement: Pfizer will reduce the prices of some drugs in the US, in exchange for a three-year tariff exemption. Trump called it a major victory and emphasized that he has been pushing similar initiatives.
Turkey loudly declared at an event at the White House, "We will now pay the lowest prices in the world."
The prices of medicines in the United States are among the highest in the world, higher than those of neighboring countries and even Europe. A study by the Rand Corporation showed that the average price Americans pay for prescription drugs is about 2.5 times that of the French. Trump had previously promised to narrow this gap.
According to the agreement announced on Tuesday, Pfizer will lower the prices of some of its drugs in Medicaid (a health insurance program for low-income people) and directly offer certain drugs to patients at discounted prices through a new government website.
Pfizer said in a press release that these drugs will be sold at "up to an 85% discount," with an average discount of 50%.
Additionally, Trump explained, "Any new drug introduced by Pfizer in the US market will be sold at a discount," and clearly stated that the prices will be aligned with the lowest prices in other developed countries.
However, the details of the agreement have not yet been released, such as how many types of drugs are involved, and how much money American consumers will ultimately save.
But it is known that, in exchange, Pfizer will receive a three-year tariff exemption, while previously Trump had threatened that if pharmaceutical companies did not build production facilities in the US, he would impose a 100% punitive tariff on all imported patented drugs starting from October 1st.
After the news was released, Pfizer's stock rose 5% in the stock market.
Over the past few months, Trump has continuously taken measures to urge pharmaceutical companies to bring their production back to the US and lower drug prices - a goal he failed to achieve during his first term.
Source: rfi
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844741356417226/
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