In recent months, President Donald Trump has made claims regarding his administration's efforts to reduce prescription drug prices in the United States, suggesting reductions of up to 600%. However, a report from Reuters indicates that pharmaceutical companies are preparing to raise prices on at least 350 branded medications in 2026. This includes vaccines for COVID-19, RSV, and shingles, as well as the cancer treatment Ibrance.

The projected number of drugs experiencing price increases next year is notably higher than in 2025, when approximately 250 medications saw price hikes. The median increase for these drugs is expected to be around 4%, consistent with the previous year.

Some of the companies that are raising prices, such as Novartis, Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, and GSK, had previously entered into agreements with the Trump administration aimed at lowering costs for a limited selection of prescriptions. In announcing these agreements, Trump stated that American drug prices would soon be the lowest among developed nations.

However, health policy researcher Dr. Benjamin Rome from Brigham and Women's Hospital has criticized these claims, stating that the anticipated savings from the agreements are minimal compared to the ongoing price increases for other medications. He noted that the deals are presented as transformative, yet they only address superficial aspects of the underlying issues driving high drug prices in the U.S.

Merith Basey, CEO of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, a patient advocacy organization, echoed this sentiment, expressing skepticism about the effectiveness of voluntary agreements with pharmaceutical companies. She emphasized the need for comprehensive, systemic reforms to address the root causes of high drug prices, highlighting that access to medications is compromised when affordability is not ensured.