I need an expensive asthma drug to live. Trump’s RX plan helped me and many others

When President Donald Trump announced "TrumpRx" successful aboriginal February, a value I’ve carried my full big beingness abruptly lifted from my shoulders. The website offers life-saving medications astatine overmuch little prices than normal, based connected the president’s promise to springiness Americans the aforesaid medicine cause costs arsenic patients successful different developed countries. I tin personally attest that specified adjacent attraction — a argumentation known arsenic "most favored nation" pricing — is urgently needed for radical who conflict with chronic disease.

I’ve had debilitating asthma since I was a child. I’ve been capable to negociate it acknowledgment to a medicine cause which blocks lung inflammation and keeps my airways open. The fewer times I’ve gone disconnected the medication, I’ve ended up successful the exigency room, incapable to breathe. That astir happened 4 years agone successful what I thought was the worst imaginable spot — connected the different broadside of the world, incapable to interaction my doctors oregon spell to my pharmacy.

My household and I were successful Italy, connected a travel to grant my mother. She had precocious been diagnosed with crab and my member and I scheduled the travel successful betwixt her chemo treatments, erstwhile she would beryllium good capable to travel. She had ever wanted to spell determination with us. But successful our unreserved to get 2 families and 3 small kids packed, I accidentally grabbed a astir bare inhaler.

I realized my mistake a fewer days into the trip, erstwhile I looked astatine the inhaler and saw that I lone had 2 doses left. I wasn’t conscionable disquieted astir my health, though, of course, that was paramount. I disquieted however I’d spend the cause if I adjacent recovered it successful Italy.

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President Donald Trump speaks astir TrumpRx successful the South Court Auditorium successful the Old Eisenhower Executive Office Building connected the White House campus, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, successful Washington, D.C., arsenic Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz listens. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

I’ve organized my nonrecreational beingness astir entree to security that covers my medication, fixed its longstanding retail terms $600 for a month’s supply. For 25 years, I’ve grappled with denied sum letters, premium tier medicine charts and the changeless interest that we would person to chopped backmost connected necessities to get my medication. At the time, successful Italy, I was already paying a fewer 100 dollars a period for the cause — a lot, but a bargain compared to its mean price.

But I had nary choice. I had to get my medication. After a fewer minutes of searching, I recovered an Italian pharmacy crossed town. I walked determination immediately, trying to power my racing thoughts of what mightiness happen. I knew that if I couldn’t get the drug, I couldn’t get safely backmost to the U.S.

Fifteen minutes later, successful tears I walked out, cause successful hand. It outgo maine lone 30 euros oregon astir $35.

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At first, I was some relieved and grateful. But by the extremity of the day, I was scratching my head. Why was it $600 successful the U.S. portion Italians could get it for adjacent to nothing? In the days that followed, I discovered that the reply is beyond complicated.

It’s affected by everything from a deficiency of terms transparency to the meddling of middlemen who jack up costs. It’s besides existent that overseas countries person been negotiating the prices of medicine drugs for decades, forcing Americans to screen the tremendous outgo of pharmaceutical improvement portion they wage acold beneath marketplace prices.

Whatever the reason, the strategy doesn’t enactment for Americans. Brand sanction medicine prices in the U.S. are much than 4 times higher than prices successful different affluent countries. As galore arsenic 18 million Americans person struggled to bargain the prescriptions they request successful caller years.

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I’m present utilizing a generic mentation of the cause that costs importantly less. But that doesn’t alteration the information that I, similar galore different Americans with chronic disease, person paid done the chemoreceptor for decades connected end, lone to find the medicine I needed successful Italy for what seemed similar pennies.

I wasn’t conscionable disquieted astir my health, though, of course, that was paramount. I disquieted however I’d spend the cause if I adjacent recovered it successful Italy.

Trump is warring to hole this breached system. Before launching TrumpRx, he reached 16 deals with pharmaceutical companies to complaint most-favored-nation prices. As a lifelong conservative, I'm typically uncomfortable with this benignant of authorities involution successful the market. But different countries person already intervened and radical similar maine person paid the price.

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If pharmaceutical companies request the other money, they should instrumentality it up with different countries that negotiated them down first. Then they could recoup their costs connected the backs of others, not simply by charging much successful the U.S. Bottom line, there’s nary bully crushed wherefore 340 cardinal Americans should wage truthful overmuch much than hundreds of millions of radical who unrecorded successful Europe and Asia.

I volition ever beryllium grateful that my medicine was truthful affordable successful Italy backmost successful 2022. It whitethorn precise good person saved my life. But I’m adjacent much grateful that President Trump is yet lowering prices for each American present astatine home.