The Trump administration has intensified efforts to persuade other countries, including Germany, to increase their payments for prescription drugs, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
During a recent breakfast meeting in Washington, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, chief health department adviser Chris Klomp, and German Ambassador Jens Hanefeld engaged in talks focused on this issue. The U.S. officials proposed that Germany contribute more to pharmaceutical costs, citing the disparity between what the U.S. pays and what other nations pay for medications.
The discussions included the potential use of tariffs under Section 301 of U.S. trade law, which allows the government to address trade practices deemed unfair. This approach mirrors previous strategies where tariff threats were used to encourage higher drug price contributions from other countries. While Ambassador Hanefeld agreed to review the proposal with German officials, no formal agreement was reached during the meeting.
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