Overview
- President Trump signed decrees Thursday that set tariffs on patented medicines as high as 100 percent.
- EU, the UK, Switzerland and Japan face a capped 15 percent rate on brand‑name drugs, and large drugmakers get 120 days to comply while smaller firms have 180 days.
- Drug makers can avoid the levy if they cut U.S. prices and commit to produce the medicines in American plants.
- Finished goods with more than 15 percent steel, aluminum or copper will now face a flat 25 percent duty, and some 50 percent charges will be calculated on U.S. market prices.
- The push follows February’s Supreme Court ruling that voided many earlier tariffs, as German exporters report higher costs and paperwork and U.S. data show the trade gap widened in February to $57.3 billion.