Overview
- Trump signed the orders Thursday using Section 232, a national security tariff law, to levy up to 100% duties on certain patented drugs unless companies secure pricing deals or plan U.S. plants.
- Large drugmakers have 120 days to comply and smaller firms have 180 days, with zero tariffs for companies that strike most‑favored‑nation pricing deals and 20% if they only commit to U.S. production, while generic medicines are exempt for now.
- Tariffs on branded drugs from the European Union, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland are capped at 15%, and the United Kingdom has a separate arrangement that starts at 10% with a path to zero under its deal.
- The metals order keeps a 50% duty on steel, aluminum and copper commodities, applies a 25% tariff to finished goods with more than 15% metal on the product’s full value, exempts items with minimal metal content, and shifts valuation rules starting Monday.
- The White House says it has reached 17 pricing deals, with 13 signed, and cites about $400 billion in pledged U.S. drug investment, while the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, PhRMA and patient advocates warn the plan could raise healthcare costs or disrupt supplies.