President Donald Trump announced a new discounted prescription drug program on Thursday as part of his promise to lower costs for Americans.
TrumpRx is not a platform for purchasing prescription drugs. Instead, it is a government-hosted website that redirects users to drugmakers’ direct-to-consumer websites and provides coupons for Americans to use at pharmacies.
“You’re going to save a fortune,” Trump said at the website’s launch event on Thursday. “And this is also so good for overall health care.”
According to the White House, Trump Rx “provides patients with access to a world-class experience for accessing deep discounts on the medicines they need.”
The White House said the discounted prices were made possible through Trump’s agreements with the drug companies of AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Novo Nordisk and Pfizer.
Here’s what to know about TrumpRx.
How does it work?
Patients cannot purchase medications directly from the government website.
A patient can use the search function on the website to see if their prescription drug is listed. Patients can then follow instructions shown for each drug offer to purchase the medication through a different website or pharmacy.
TrumpRx pricing is only available to those not using insurance for their prescription drugs. Some of the drugs are available through coupon offers that could be used at participating local pharmacies, according to the website.
What medications are included?
TrumpRx launched with just 43 medications, including weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic. Most of the prescription drugs listed are meant to treat obesity, diabetes, fertility issues, asthma and heart disease, according to the website.
Here are some of the common medications included:
The administration has promised that more medications will be added to the website in the coming months.
What are the discounts?
The discounts range from saving 93% on fertility drug Cetrotide to saving 50% on human growth hormone medication Ngenla.
It’s not clear how much TrumpRx will help Americans struggling to pay prescription drug costs. The website excludes generic drugs that many Americans might be able to use instead of the name-brand medication.
About 84% of Americans also already have prescription drug coverage, which could offer lower out-of-pocket prices for patients than TrumpRx.
“If you have insurance, check your co-pay first—it may be even lower,” a disclaimer on TrumpRx states.
Other discounted drug platforms, like GoodRx, already offer coupons and prescription drug deals that are similar to TrumpRx.
CNN’s senior reporter Tami Luhby explained that those who take weight loss drugs might benefit the most from TrumpRx. She said on CNN’s “Inside Politics” that Americans who take obesity drugs might “actually find good deals on this website.”
“So the prices likely will be lower than what they had been paying. Because most, well, not most, but many insurers don’t cover Wegovy and Zepbound for weight loss. So this cash pay option … could be more affordable for people,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.