Nearly half of TrumpRx drugs have generic options available

TrumpRx went live on Thursday, following a delay in its highly anticipated launch the week before. But many of the drugs offered on the long-promised pricing portal already have generics available on the U.S. market or can be purchased at a discount through existing programs.

On the day of its launch, the new government-run website featured 43 brand-name medications from five of the big drug companies that struck Most Favored Nation deals with Trump's administration in exchange for a three-year exemption from the pharmaceutical tariffs implemented last year.

Many of the medications listed on the online platform appear to be already heavily rebated, close to losing patent protection or generate low sales. In many cases, TrumpRx's discount rates may not be able to beat those available through insurance, cash-pay services, or previously existing direct-to-consumer (DTC) programs.

For insured individuals, the drug prices on the government-backed site may not be the cheapest option available when considering current co-pays, rebates or manufacturer coupons.

More notably, most of the products offered on TrumpRx are "quite old" and have a median market age of 26 years, Anna Kaltenboeck, M.B.A., President of Verdant Research, said in an online post. Out of the drugs available on the platform, "46% have generics available," she added.

And surprisingly, one of the medications for sale on the new discount portal is Pfizer's smoking cessation drug Chantix, which was recalled in 2021 due to cancer-related concerns and quickly discontinued. Its generic version, varenicline, is priced as low as $36.61 for 56 tablets (1 mg) on GoodRx, but is marketed as "Chantix" and listed at $106.20 on TrumpRx.

The administration said it plans to add more drugs to TrumpRx in the coming months

Alivia Kaylor is a scientist and the senior site editor of Pharma Life Sciences.