FDA Commissioner Marty Makary hailed Tuesday’s announcement that Pfizer will slash prescription drug prices, telling Newsmax it marks a “historic day” for American healthcare.
Makary made the comments hours after President Donald Trump announced that Pfizer will lower the cost of all prescription drugs for Medicaid in exchange for tariff relief, adding that he expects other pharmaceutical companies to follow their lead.
In an appearance on “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Makary said Pfizer’s move to immediately cut the cost of certain medications by as much as 80% will provide relief for millions of families.
“This is going to mean lower drug prices immediately for everyday Americans,” Makary said. “It’s also going to mean lower healthcare costs, because the fastest area of growth in healthcare is drug prices.”
Makary credited Trump’s leadership for forcing the hand of Big Pharma. He said the president has insisted that the United States, as the world’s largest purchaser of prescription drugs, should no longer pay higher prices than other wealthy nations.
“The president is trying to end the great American rip-off,” Makary said. “We don’t have the best prices, we’ve had the worst prices. And the president has demanded that we have the best price of any wealthy, developed country. That’s what we’re going to see.”
The commissioner emphasized that Pfizer’s cuts will apply to specialty drugs — the costly medications that often drive families into bankruptcy.
“These are the super expensive ones, where you see GoFundMe campaigns and offering plates passed around … just because somebody got sick,” Makary said. “These are critical drugs that are massively expensive.”
Makary added that the change will ease the burden on families while ensuring that other nations “pay their fair share” for pharmaceutical innovation, rather than relying on American consumers to shoulder the costs.
The FDA chief predicted that Pfizer’s move is just the beginning.
“You’re going to see a string of major pharmaceutical companies coming out with similar announcements,” he said.
He also noted Trump’s push to bring drug manufacturing back to the U.S., calling it a vital national security issue.
“People said it could never happen. We’re seeing company after company make this announcement,” Makary said. “We should never get burned shopping for drugs in China like we did in the beginning of COVID.”
Makary praised Trump’s bold approach, saying, “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about him, he wants to go big, go bold, do what’s right, and protect everyday American consumers. And this is just an example of how he works.”
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