White House may make Trump-branded prescription drug website

The Trump administration is reportedly considering the launch of a dedicated website that would offer prescription medicines at a discount directly to consumers, a move that would put the federal government in direct competition with both big businesses and mom-and-pop stores. One of the names purportedly floated for this service? TrumpRx.

The idea, first reported by Bloomberg , is still just that. No decisions have been made at this time. Under the proposal, however, patients could search for specific medicines and would then “be connected with platforms that sell them.” It was not made clear how that might save consumers money.

Patients, seemingly, would be able to buy directly from pharmaceutical companies, though, which could account for the lower prices. Pharma giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk already do this in the U.S. However, the direct-to-consumer discounts they offer for GLP-1 weight loss drugs, for example, still leave the popular shots priced well above their cost in most other countries.

The discussions for TrumpRx are expected to continue until Trump’s Sept. 29 deadline for pharmaceutical companies to comply with demands to lower prices on several common medicines.

Should the government get into the business of selling drugs online, it could prove to be a significant threat to a variety of companies. Beyond the obvious competition to pharmacy chains such as Walgreen Boots Alliance (which became a private company in late August after its stock fell to levels not seeing since 1998) and CVS (whose stock is up 69% year to date), a government-operated website steering customers to sites selling lower-priced drugs could impact the revenues of smaller, privately owned pharmacies.

Also impacted could be tech giants such as Amazon, which launched a low-cost pharmacy in 2020 and billionaire Mark Cuban, who launched Cost Plus Drugs Co. in 2022.

Trump has made prescription drug prices a priority in recent months. In July, he sent letters to 17 of the largest drug makers, demanding they lower charges for Medicaid or else risk facing penalties , which were not detailed. At the same time, the administration has threatened to crack down on advertisements for pharmaceutical products on television and social media. Leaders at some pharma companies have pushed back on the demand.

News of a possible government-run prescription drug website comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to soon allege that Tylenol potentially causes autism . Shares of Tylenol maker Kenvue were down 6% in midday trading Monday in anticipation of the claim .