In May, President Trump signed an executive order imposing Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) price caps on pharmaceuticals. While the problems of price caps like MFN pricing have been explored at length, the order had an upside in that it also included a provision to facilitate the direct sale of prescriptions to patients for manufacturers that meet the price cap. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales can help lower prices for patients.
Since the executive order, President Trump has announced TrumpRX.gov, which—beginning in 2026—is intended to facilitate DTC sale of pharmaceuticals. DTC pharmaceutical sales is not just a good idea, its so good companies had already started implementing this service, without federal involvement. In fact, the proposed TrumpRX website functions by redirecting patients to the existing DTC websites for participating companies.
The big problem in DTC care right now isn’t that it doesn’t exist, it is that patients don’t know about the option or how much money they can save with it.
Justin Leventhal is a senior policy analyst for the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization. For more information about the Institute, visit www.TheAmericanConsumer.Org or follow us on X @ConsumerPal.