Trump Demands Drugmakers Slash Prices, Claims 1,500% Cuts Achieved

U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated his campaign against high prescription-drug costs, telling supporters he wants prices lowered by “1,000, 1,200, even 1,500 percent” and asserting—without evidence—that his administration has already achieved such reductions. The rhetoric follows letters the White House dispatched to 17 pharmaceutical companies giving them 60 days to present plans for cutting prices or “face the consequences,” according to a copy reviewed by NTN24. The missive cites a May 12 executive order that seeks to bring U.S. prices down by as much as 59% and proposes using the nation-most-favored-pricing rule to benchmark domestic costs to the lowest paid abroad. Policy analysts note that drug prices have yet to fall and say cuts larger than 100% are mathematically impossible. Industry groups have previously pushed back on similar initiatives, arguing that sweeping price controls would reduce investment in new therapies. The administration has not detailed what punitive measures it might deploy if the companies miss the two-month deadline.