The prescription drug sales platform 'TrumpRX', named after U.S. President Donald Trump, has officially launched. Abrilada, a Humira biosimilar developed by the U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, is being supplied through the site at a 60% discount. Consequently, industry analysts are speculating about potential shifts in the market expansion strategies of competitors, specifically Celltrion and Samsung Biologics.
According to Reuters and AFP on the 9th, President Trump officially announced the launch of TrumpRX during a White House event on the 5th (local time). President Trump emphasized, "Starting tonight, consumers will be able to purchase dozens of commonly used prescription drugs at significantly discounted prices."
Analysts suggest that President Trump has effectively implemented the 'Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing' model he has advocated for since the start of his second term. MFN pricing mandates that the U.S. receive drug prices equal to the lowest price offered by the manufacturer to other major developed nations.
Last July, President Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish new drug pricing standards within 30 days. By September, he ramped up pressure on 17 global pharmaceutical companies (Big Pharma), demanding they accept price reductions within a 60-day window.
In October of last year, Pfizer and Denmark’s Novo Nordisk reached an agreement. Pfizer initially announced it would offer select specialty drugs through TrumpRX at discounts of up to 85%, with an average reduction of 50%. Novo Nordisk also announced price cuts of over 80% for its obesity and diabetes treatments.
As a result, TrumpRX has launched with discounted pricing applied to over 40 medications. These include high-demand treatments for metabolic and chronic diseases, such as the weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Zepbound, the diabetes medication Ozempic, and the fertility hormone drug Gonal-f RFF Redi-ject* (referred to as Gonal-f Pen).
Impact on the Biosimilar Market
Notably, the only biosimilar currently included in the TrumpRX catalog is Pfizer's Abrilada. This is a biosimilar of Humira (ingredient: adalimumab), the autoimmune disease treatment developed by the U.S. firm AbbVie. Humira previously recorded staggering annual global sales of approximately $21.2 billion.
Humira biosimilars began entering the U.S. market in the second half of 2023. Samsung Biologics and Celltrion launched Hadlima and Yuflyma in July 2023, respectively. Abrilada was released three months later. On the TrumpRX site, Abrilada is listed at $207.60, roughly 60% lower than its previous price of $519.
An industry source familiar with Humira biosimilars stated, "It is expected that Abrilada was included in TrumpRX as part of Pfizer's response to the administration's demands. However, it remains unclear whether Pfizer included it symbolically due to its currently small market share or if it was specifically requested by the government."
According to Bloomberg and Daol Investment & Securities, biosimilar developers are struggling to gain significant ground. As of May last year, AbbVie’s Humira and Humira CF (a concentrated, citrate-free formulation) maintained a 75.9% market share. At that time, Hadlima held 9.7%, ranking first among biosimilars, while Yuflyma and Abrilada hovered around 1%.
However, with Abrilada—which has been granted interchangeability status in the U.S.—now available at a steep discount, its competitiveness is expected to rise. Since Abrilada, Hadlima, and Yuflyma are all FDA-approved as interchangeable, pharmacists can substitute the original drug with these biosimilars without a new prescription from a doctor.
Uncertainty remains regarding whether more biosimilars will be added to the TrumpRX list. Another industry source noted, "It is too early to make a definitive judgment. The administration's demands were primarily aimed at Big Pharma, and it is uncertain if more products competing directly with ours will be added. For now, we will monitor the impact of Abrilada’s price change and refine our sales strategies accordingly."
