Tag Archive for: MFN

After the withdrawal of investment pledges totalling £2bn by pharmaceutical companies — seeking to offset lower US revenue by raising UK prices — the British government has now caved in and signed a deal with the US administration that will lift UK drug prices by 25%

UK-based AstraZeneca plc has become the second of 17 pharmaceutical companies, after Pfizer Inc., to accept U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to voluntarily lower drug prices and move production to the United States. In return, the company will benefit from a three-year exemption from U.S. import tariffs on prescription drugs manufactured outside the country.

After the surprising announcement of a 100% tariff on all prescription drugs imported into the United States, the US government appears to be backtracking. Within a few days, its trade policy stance towards the pharmaceutical industry has shifted fundamentally.