Trump touts TrumpRx prescription drug website expansion

President Donald Trump announced May 18 a dramatic expansion of TrumpRx.gov, a government website listing discounted prescription drugs negotiated by his administration, a White House official said.

Trump announced more than 600 generic medications have been added to the direct-to-consumer website as part of his administration's bid to lower the cost of prescription drugs. The government website will refer people to private-sector online pharmacies and drug-pricing websites, including Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs, Amazon Pharmacy and GoodRx.

TrumpRx, launched in January, is a key pillar of Trump's efforts to lower prescription drug costs for Americans. The Trump administration has negotiated most-favored-nation deals with 17 large drug companies aimed at lowering prescription drug costs to levels seen in other developed nations.

Before Monday's announcement adding generics, the website had listed only brand-name drugs from those 17 companies.

"We went from the highest to the lowest [prices]," Trump said. "Outside of maybe a cure itself, it's the biggest thing to happen to health care."

While Trump has repeatedly touted his efforts to make prescription drugs cheaper for Americans, the brand-name drug prices on the TrumpRx website often have generic equivalents that can be purchased elsewhere, often at lower prices.

TrumpRx directs cash-paying consumers to drug manufacturers' websites or coupons that can be used at pharmacies. The site does not process insurance claims, and most people use their health insurance plan's drug benefits when filling prescriptions.

About 6 in 10 Americans said they are worried about affording their prescription drug costs, according to a March survey from KFF, a nonpartisan health policy nonprofit. Four in 10 said they saved costs by skipping doses, not filling prescriptions, or taking other cost-saving measures.

The TrumpRx website has added some price transparency tools for consumers. New website features allow consumers to compare prices at chain and independent pharmacies in their neighborhood. Consumers will also be able to get home delivery for some medications.

Cuban, a billionaire entrepreneur who has promoted price transparency in health care, lauded efforts to lower drug prices through TrumpRx. He said 559 of the generics listed on the government website will come from Cost Plus Drugs.

Cuban predicted that as more people are referred to Cost Plus Drugs from the government website, prices will decrease further.

"Republicans want cheaper drugs. Independents want cheaper drugs. Democrats want cheaper drugs," Cuban said. "I think we're going to do something special."