Trump’s drug price war with Europe aims to make things cheaper for Americans

Will Europe ne'er learn?

America’s ostensible friends support taking vantage of us, lone to beryllium shocked erstwhile President Donald Trump holds them accountable. First, Europe refused to wage for its ain defense, until the president threatened to propulsion retired of NATO. Then Europe refused to interruption unfair barriers to American trade, until the president deed those nations with monolithic tariffs. Now the Trump medication is targeting Germany for stealing U.S. medicines. The president won’t backmost down until Germany stops the blatant theft — and starts giving Americans the little cause prices we deserve.

On June 18, the Trump administration launched a large investigation into German cause pricing. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced this determination aft Germany proposed paying less for drugs developed successful America. Regardless of whether that connection moves forward, Germany already pays excessively small for American-made drugs. The state is unfairly hurting U.S. innovation and workers portion sticking Americans with higher costs.

Like astir European countries, Germany has been bilking America for decades. The state has forced pharmaceutical companies to merchantability their drugs astatine steep discounts, making the medicines artificially cheap. Yet drugs aren’t cheap, and it takes U.S. companies about $2.7 cardinal connected average to bring a caller pharmaceutical to market. Companies person to screen those costs, truthful they tin support investing successful the adjacent procreation of innovative treatments. If they don’t recoup the money, they can’t employment truthful galore U.S. workers, overmuch little cure diseases similar cancer.

TRUMP EXPANDS TRUMPRX PRESCRIPTION DRUG DISCOUNT PROGRAM TO MORE THAN 800 MEDICATIONS

Bottles of medicine thrust connected a loop astatine a mail-in pharmacy warehouse successful Florence, N.J., successful July 2018. (AP/Julio Cortez)

By mandating steep pricing discounts, Germany is shifting precocious costs to Americans. For the astir costly drugs, Americans already pay 4 times much than Germans. But that’s unjust. Germans are taking the aforesaid drugs arsenic Americans, but they aren’t paying arsenic overmuch for the drugs’ development.

Put simply, Germans aren’t paying their just share. And present Germany wants to wage adjacent less!

No wonderment the Trump medication is investigating Germany. Specifically, the president has launched a Section 301 probe into the country’s "persistent underpayment for innovative pharmaceutical products." The investigation will past into the fall, with a nationalist proceeding connected Sept. 22. If the Trump medication concludes that Germany has acted unfairly, it could slap tariffs connected Germany successful response.

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German leaders person responded the mode Europeans typically respond to Trump: with outrage. They say the investigation could endanger a broader commercialized woody betwixt the United States and the European Union. But if Trump has taught the satellite anything, it’s that helium won’t settee for thing little than a amended woody that helps Americans. German leaders would beryllium wiser to commencement paying much — not little — for U.S. drugs, and soon.

Germany should look to the United Kingdom. Until earlier this year, the U.K. besides paid acold little for American medicines. But aft the Trump medication threatened tariffs, the U.K. agreed to wage more. The woody isn’t perfect, but it does displacement immoderate of the unfair load disconnected Americans. That’s what Germany’s leaders needs to do, arsenic well: Accept the work to wage for the drugs that prevention German lives.

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If Germany sees contented and pays its just share, Americans volition payment successful galore ways. Patients volition prevention wealth arsenic cause prices drop. The American companies that thrust planetary aesculapian innovation volition besides beryllium capable to make caller drugs, treatments, and cures. And different nations volition spot that America refuses to beryllium abused connected cause pricing immoderate longer. If the remainder of the satellite wants the life-saving drugs that we make here, they should commencement paying what the drugs are worth.

The Trump medication deserves praise for holding Germany accountable. If that country’s leaders are smart, they’ll wantonness their plans to gouge America adjacent much and judge a woody that restores fairness. The U.S. deserves amended than a alleged person who steals our companies’ innovations and picks our people’s pockets. And it’s agelong past clip for European leaders to recognize that nether President Trump, they can’t instrumentality vantage of America anymore.