A Promise That Stings
President Trump’s vow to rebuild American pharmaceutical manufacturing grabs headlines. Giants like Johnson & Johnson and Roche are investing billions in U.S. facilities, fueled by his May 2025 executive order and tariff threats. The pitch sounds strong: jobs, secure supply chains, national pride. But the reality bites. This strategy, built on corporate tax breaks and heavy-handed trade policies, risks driving up drug prices for ordinary Americans while boosting Big Pharma’s bottom line.
Consider the scope. The White House celebrates $158 billion in commitments from firms like Eli Lilly and Bristol Myers Squibb, all framed as a patriotic response to Trump’s call. Yet who bears the cost? Not the CEOs reaping tax incentives. It’s the single parent stretching to afford insulin, the senior skipping heart medication, the family drowning in medical debt. How can we applaud a policy that values corporate profits over human well-being?
The problem runs deep. Trump’s plan hinges on 25 percent tariffs on imported drugs and loosened regulations to draw production back. Tariffs, though, don’t just target foreign suppliers; they hit consumers, raising prices for generics that 90 percent of Americans depend on. Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act capped insulin at $35 for Medicare patients, a hard-won relief. Trump’s trade policies now threaten to erode those savings, leaving patients vulnerable. Does this reflect a commitment to the public good?
The True Price of Reshoring
Bringing manufacturing home carries a noble ring, but the process is slow and expensive. Since 2021, onshoring has added 260,000 jobs, a small fraction compared to decades of losses from offshoring. New facilities take years to build, and U.S. labor costs far exceed those in India or China, which supply 80 percent of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Companies like Novartis and Merck won’t absorb these expenses; they’ll pass them on to patients, not investors.
More troubling, Trump’s approach sidesteps affordability. Advocates for equitable healthcare have long championed solutions like strengthening the 340B program, which lowers drug costs for low-income clinics, or reining in pharmacy benefit managers who inflate prices. Instead, Trump offers deregulation and tax credits, handouts to an industry that earned $1.2 trillion globally in 2024. Why reward companies already flush with cash when patients struggle to afford basic medications?
National security concerns add complexity. Dependence on China for 95 percent of generic injectables poses real risks, as Senator Gary Peters’s 2024 bill and bipartisan reports highlight. But tariffs and hasty approvals won’t resolve this quickly. They might even trigger shortages if foreign suppliers exit before U.S. plants are operational. Drawing on Biden’s 2021 supply chain review, healthcare advocates propose a balanced solution: targeted tax credits, like those in the Inflation Reduction Act, to expand domestic production without inflating costs for consumers.
A Smarter Path Forward
A better approach exists, one that doesn’t penalize patients. Healthcare advocates, from congressional leaders to community providers, call for policies that strengthen supply chains while ensuring access. Biden’s Essential Medicines Assessment identified critical drugs and supported public-private partnerships to boost production. Why discard this framework for a tariff-driven strategy that burdens the most vulnerable?
Decades of evidence support this view. Since the 1990s, consumer-focused reforms, such as Medicare drug price negotiations under the Affordable Care Act, have reduced costs without harming innovation. Global R&D thrives today, with AI and advanced manufacturing speeding up drug development. We can secure supply chains and keep medications affordable, but only by putting people ahead of corporate interests.
Trump’s record tells a different story. His 2017-2021 push for tariffs and deregulation failed to curb drug price increases, with generics rising 5 percent annually. His 2025 executive order intensifies this, easing FDA oversight and risking lower-quality drugs. Patient safety advocates warn of potential harm from rushed approvals. Why take such risks when proven, fair solutions are within reach?
A Call to Prioritize People
The stakes are immense. Trump’s pharmaceutical strategy, cloaked in patriotic rhetoric, threatens to widen inequality and undermine trust in healthcare. Patients deserve policies that safeguard their access to affordable drugs, not ones that enrich corporations at their expense. We need leaders who champion fairness, invest in sustainable manufacturing, and ensure no one is priced out of life-saving care.
The numbers paint a stark picture: 28 million Americans lack insurance, and one in four skip medications due to cost. These are real people, not just data points. Healthcare advocates propose practical steps—expanding 340B, funding advanced manufacturing, enforcing price transparency—grounded in years of successful reforms. These measures can fortify supply chains while keeping drugs within reach for all.
The path forward is clear. We can create a healthcare system that serves everyone, not just the privileged few. Will we allow Trump’s corporate-friendly policies to shape our future, or will we demand a system that puts patients first? The responsibility lies with us to push for change.