Thursday, April 23, 2026 — President Donald Trump announced a deal with drugmaker Regeneron to lower the cost of its pharmaceutical products as part of the White House’s signature drug pricing initiative. The agreement involves Regeneron reducing prices for all current and future drugs on Medicaid and selling a cholesterol medication called Praluent at $225 through the White House’s discounted drug website TrumpRx, per an arrangement first outlined by NOTUS and confirmed in a White House fact sheet.
The deal follows the Trump administration’s efforts to deliver economic relief ahead of November’s midterm elections, as Americans report rising costs for health care, gas, groceries and other essentials straining household budgets. It represents one of many so-called most-favored-nation agreements the administration has secured with drug companies to align U.S. pharmaceutical pricing with levels in developed nations.
Last July, Trump sent letters to executives at 17 major pharmaceutical companies regarding the initiative, making Regeneron the final company to finalize a deal with his administration. Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Trump highlighted the discounts and stated, “It should be front page news.” He added that voters in November’s midterms should reward his party due to these agreements: “We should win the midterms, but it doesn’t work that way, unfortunately.”
Trump has a documented history with Regeneron. During his 2020 term, he was hospitalized for COVID-19 and received a dose of a drug the company was testing to supply antibodies. After recovery, Trump shared a video outside the White House repeatedly praising Regeneron’s work.
Under the new agreement, Regeneron committed to investing $27 billion in U.S.-based research, development and manufacturing—a pledge that historically has secured tariff relief from Trump’s administration. The company also announced Thursday that its gene therapy Otarmeni, designed for a rare congenital hearing loss condition, received FDA approval and will be available at no cost to eligible patients in the United States.
The therapy earned expedited approval via the FDA’s Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program, an initiative not authorized by Congress but under months of scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers. Congressional representatives have noted that this program repeatedly directs vouchers to companies agreeing to White House pricing concessions.
Despite Trump and his Department of Health and Human Services labeling these deals as transformative, specific contractual terms remain undisclosed. When pressed by members of Congress this week about sharing agreements, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated his team would release details “that don’t include proprietary information or trade secrets.” Both Trump and Kennedy have urged Congress to codify the deals into law.
The initiative has faced setbacks. A major component of agreements with weight-loss drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk collapsed earlier this week after Medicare delayed implementing a program covering GLP-1 medications. Drug pricing for U.S. patients depends on factors including treatment competition and insurance coverage. Most Americans have coverage through employment, individual markets or government programs like Medicaid and Medicare, which typically shield them from significant out-of-pocket costs.
Patients enrolled in Medicaid—states and federally funded programs for low-income individuals—currently pay minimal co-pays per prescription, though reduced drug prices could benefit state budgets supporting these initiatives.
