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Drugmakers raised prices on hundreds of drugs despite Trump deals, report finds

Nbcwashington · · 858 words · By Berkeley Lovelace Jr; NBC News
Drug Pricing Reforms Political accountability
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What to know about Drug Pricing Reforms

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said his deals with drugmakers would bring down prescription drug prices in the U.S.

Claims checked 22
Techniques found 2
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left17%
Center66%
Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said his deals with drugmakers would bring down prescription drug prices in the U.S.

Why it matters

But a report released by Senate Democrats finds prices have continued to climb — in some cases, sharply.

Common ground

Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, ahead of a hearing focused on drug prices — found that companies that signed drug pricing deals with Trump have raised the cost of hundreds of medications…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Appeal to Authority, Selective Omission: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/drugmakers-raised-pric…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Appeal to Authority 75% confidence
Citing an authority figure as evidence, even when the authority is not qualified on the topic.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to authority helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Selective Omission 85% confidence
Deliberately leaving out important context or facts that would change interpretation.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing selective omission helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 22 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 12
help Insufficient Evidence 5
check_circle Corroborated 3
verified Verified By Reference 2
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Claim 1: “President Donald Trump has repeatedly said his deals with drugmakers would bring down prescription drug prices in the U.S.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results independently confirm Trump's public claims about drug pricing deals and the 'most favored nation' approach to Medicare drug pricing.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Trumpmakes laughableclaimaboutdrugprices—and is immediately ridiculed.Trumphas touted a so-called “most favored nation” approach to Medicaredrugpricing, meaning that he wants theU.S. to only pay a low…
https://www.nj.com/politics/2025/07/trump-makes-laughable-cl…
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web search NEUTRAL — President DonaldTrumpwill announce a plan to lowerU.S.prescriptiondrugcosts by tying the amount the government pays for some medications topricespaid abroad.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/trumps-medicare-d…
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web search NEUTRAL — DonaldTrumpspeaks at a press conference onhisdrugpricingdealin October 2025. DonaldTrumphas pushed for cheaper medicationpricesin negotiations with drugmakersImage: Shawn Thew/CNP/picture alliance.
https://www.dw.com/en/trumprx-promises-cheap-drugs-for-the-u…
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Claim 2: “Pfizer increased the price of its lung cancer drug Vizimpro by about 5% to about $208,000 a year.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 3: “AstraZeneca’s Datroway is about $419,000.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 4: “The report states Keytruda's list price increased by 6% to $210,000 annually, higher than prices in Japan and France.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No sources were found that reference Keytruda's pricing or international price comparisons.
schedule
Claim 5: “Johnson & Johnson’s cancer drug Inlexzo launched at a price of about $1 million.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 6: “Novartis’ Zolgensma increased by nearly $200,000 to more than $2.5 million for a single course of treatment.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 7: “Novartis’ Itvisma has a list price of about $2.59 million.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 8: “Novartis’ Kesimpta increased by nearly $10,500 to $141,000 annually, higher than prices in Germany and Canada.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 9: “The price hikes include expensive gene therapies, cancer medications and multiple sclerosis drugs.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No sources were found that directly reference the specific drug categories mentioned in the claim.
schedule
Claim 10: “Average brand-name list prices in the U.S. declined for the first time in 2026, driven by Biden administration policies.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 11: “The White House spokesperson stated that Sanders’ report 'fixates on prescription drug list prices, which are meaningless because they do not reflect the actual purchase prices that patients pay at the pharmacy counter.'”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No sources were found that reference White House statements about prescription drug list prices.
verified
Claim 12: “The report also said the companies that signed deals with Trump have made huge profits during his second term in office. In 2025, the companies made a combined $177 billion in profits, up from $107 billion the year before.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries provide no information about corporate profits or financial data related to Trump's drug pricing deals.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On July 13, 2024, Donald Trump, then a former president of the United States and the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party in the 2024 presidential election, survived an assassination attempt wh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Don…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Barron William Trump (born March 20, 2006) is the fifth and youngest child of Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, and his only child with his third wife, Melania Trump, whi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barron_Trump
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States (2017–2021) ran a successful campaign for the 2024 U.S. presidential election. He formally announced his campaign on November 15, 2022, initially …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_2024_presidential…
help
Claim 13: “Drugmakers agreed to offer some of their products for a discounted price for people paying with cash, not insurance, on TrumpRx.gov, a discount prescription drug platform.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No sources were found that confirm the existence of TrumpRx.gov or discounted pricing agreements.
schedule
Claim 14: “Opdivo's list price rose 4% to $260,000 annually, more than double the price in France and the United Kingdom.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 15: “The report found companies that negotiated deals with Trump launched new medications, many of them cancer drugs, with six- to seven-digit price tags.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 16: “Companies like Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer did not respond to requests for comment.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 17: “A report released by Senate Democrats finds prices have continued to climb — in some cases, sharply.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results show Senate Democrats have actively investigated rising prescription drug prices through hearings and meetings with pharmaceutical executives.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Trump administration on Wednesday said it is proposing a ruletoallowstatestoimportprescriptiondrugsfrom Canada, advancing a plan ...
https://www.insurancejournal.com/topics/prescription-drug-pr…
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web search NEUTRAL — There’sa lot of unity amongDemocratsfor lowering the cost ofprescriptiondrugs,” a Schumer aide told The Health 202.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/04/senate-de…
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web search NEUTRAL — ... reported that today, the USSenateFinance Committee mettoquestion the executives from seven US pharmaceutical companies on therisingpricedrugs...
https://rheumnow.com/content/senate-drills-drug-makers-over-…
schedule
Claim 18: “Antonio Ciaccia stated companies that signed Trump's deals did not agree to lower prices across their entire portfolio.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 19: “Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to testify Thursday in back-to-back hearings on Trump’s budget.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia confirms RFK Jr.'s role as Health Secretary but provides no information about scheduled testimony or budget hearings.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (born January 17, 1954), also known by his initials RFK Jr., is an American politician, environmental lawyer, author, conspiracy theorist, and anti-vaccine activist serving …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy_Jr.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Joseph Patrick Kennedy II (born September 24, 1952) is an American businessman, Democratic politician, and a member of the Kennedy family. He is the eldest son of former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_P._Kennedy_II
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mary Kerry Kennedy (born September 8, 1959) is an American lawyer, author, and human rights activist. Kennedy is a daughter of former United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, and a n…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerry_Kennedy
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Claim 20: “The findings raise questions about whether the administration’s 'most favored nation' deals — which Trump said would lower U.S. drug prices to match those in other wealthy countries — are having a meaningful impact on patients.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No sources were found that discuss the impact of Trump's drug pricing deals on patient costs.
schedule
Claim 21: “AbbVie’s cancer drug Emrelis is about $719,000.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 22: “The report found that companies that signed drug pricing deals with Trump have raised the cost of hundreds of medications and launched new ones at an average price of $353,000 a year.”
CORROBORATED
Two web search results explicitly mention companies raising prices in response to Trump's tariffs, supporting the report's findings about cost increases.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — $Trump (stylized in all caps) is a meme coin associated with United States president Donald Trump, hosted on the Solana blockchain. One billion coins were created; 800 million remain owned by two Trum…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/$Trump
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Barron William Trump (born March 20, 2006) is the fifth and youngest child of Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, and his only child with his third wife, Melania Trump, whi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barron_Trump
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Trump Organization, Inc. is an American conglomerate. Privately owned by Donald Trump, it consists of most of Trump's business ventures and investments, with around 250 of its affiliates and subsi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trump_Organization
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.