Internet users baffled as Donald Trump announces numerical claim that challenges mathematical understanding
In recent statements, former President Donald Trump has been advocating for significant reductions in drug prices, claiming that his plan would result in reductions of up to 1400-1500%. However, these claims appear to be considerably overstated and not supported by recent policy outcomes or expert analysis.
The Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) policy, revived under Trump's administration, aimed to lower U.S. drug prices by aligning them with the lowest prices in other developed countries. The policy targeted a reduction of up to about 59%, not 1400-1500% as claimed by Trump.
Despite strong rhetoric, there is no credible evidence or official policy commitment indicating price cuts on the order of over 1000%. Actual drug price reductions in U.S. market policies targeting cost control are usually in the range of tens of percent for specific drugs or classes—not multiples exceeding 1000%.
Trump’s approach mainly involved pushing pharmaceutical companies to sell drugs at or below the lowest international prices and removing intermediaries, but it did not include mechanisms for such extreme percentage reductions.
Therefore, claims of 1400-1500% drug price reductions do not align with documented U.S. drug pricing policy results or expert financial analyses. The realistic and stated targets have been reductions up to approximately 59% under his MFN initiative.
Despite Trump's pressure on pharmaceutical companies, drug prices haven't actually come down. The former President repeated a promise to lower the cost of medications for Americans, acknowledging that the drop in drug prices would be more than 50%. However, it remains unclear whether his administration's policies will result in the significant reductions he has promised.
[1] FactCheck.org. (2020, October 2). Trump's 1,400% Phantom Drug Price Reduction. [online] Available at: https://www.factcheck.org/2020/10/trumps-1400-phantom-drug-price-reduction/
[2] Kaiser Family Foundation. (2020, October 2). Fact Check: Trump's False Claims About Drug Prices. [online] Available at: https://www.kff.org/health-reform/fact-sheet/fact-check-trumps-false-claims-about-drug-prices/
- Despite Trump's claims of up to 1400-1500% drug price reductions, the Most-Favored-Nation policy, which he revived, only aimed for reductions of up to about 59%. [policy-and-legislation, politics]
- It remains unclear whether Trump's administration's policies will result in the significant reductions he has promised, as there is no credible evidence or official policy commitment indicating price cuts on the order of over 1000%. [politics, general-news]
