US drugmakers threaten to withhold products from Europe over prices
Financial Times • • general
Key Points:
- US pharmaceutical companies, led by Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, are pressuring Europe to raise drug prices, threatening to withhold new medicines if European lawmakers maintain lower price levels.
- These demands follow voluntary agreements with the Trump administration, where drugmakers agreed to lower US prices by benchmarking them against prices in other developed countries, including Europe.
- Some pharma executives are considering delaying or withholding drug launches in Europe to offset revenue losses caused by reduced US prices.
- European health officials, such as Germany’s Techniker Krankenkasse CEO Jens Baas, argue that drug prices are already too high and warn that price increases would burden public health insurance systems without benefiting the broader economy.
- Analysts predict these tensions may lead to delayed drug launches
