Trump plans a hefty tax on imported drugs, risking higher prices and shortages
September 1, 2025
President Donald Trump has plastered taxes on products from almost every country on earth. He’s targeted specific imports, too. But he isn’t done yet. Trump has promised another round of hefty import taxes on a category of products he’s so far spared in his trade war with the world: pharmaceuticals. For decades, in fact, imported medicine has mostly been allowed to enter the United States duty free. Now the president is threatening duties of 200% or more on foreign drugs. That could disrupt complex and fragile supply chains, drive cheap foreign-made generic drugs out of the U.S., create drug shortages and raise American drug prices.