Two more drug-making giants will officially start selling popular commercial medications on the White House’s discounted pharmaceutical site as soon as Monday, CBS News exclusively learned.
American pharmaceutical companies Abbvie and Genentech become the 10th and 11th companies to provide their prescriptions at a reduced rate on the “TrumpRx” site.
Abbvie, which struck a deal with the Trump administration in January to cut the cost of certain medicines, will sell Humira, a popular medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, on the site at an 86% discount.
The prescription prices on the site, however, are only available to patients who are uninsured, or whose insurance doesn’t cover it, and who must pay the full list price out of pocket. Those with insurance coverage generally pay lower prices already.
A White House official tells CBS News the administration is working to codify the discount prescription deals with the “Great Healthcare Plan” to ensure that people on government insurance can use copays for the TrumpRx drugs. Congress has not taken up the Trump-proposed plan yet.
Prices for the Humira Pen, also called adalimumab, can cost over $6,900 for uninsured individuals. TrumpRx will feature coupons for Humira that will drop the price to $950, according to a White House official.
The Trump administration has been working to lower prescription drug prices through “most-favored-nation” agreements where pharmaceutical companies sell medications to uninsured U.S. consumers at the same prices available in other countries.
The White House announced a deal with Genentech in December to reduce the cost of Xofluza, a single dose pill used to treat and prevent the flu. That prescription will cost around $50, negotiated down from $168, according to a White House official.
Another drug company, Amgen, will also expand its TrumpRx offerings to include arthritis drug Enbrel and plaque psoriasis-treating medication Otezla.
TrumpRx now sells over 61 drugs at a lower price, up from about 40 offerings when the website went live in February.