Cost Plus Drugs Joins TrumpRx Effort To Tackle High Drug Costs
- 22 oct
- 2 Min. de lectura
Mark Cuban, founder of the online pharmacy Cost Plus Drugs, announced that his company will partner with the federal TrumpRx initiative, elaborating on the plan during a CNBC interview at HLTH 2025 in Las Vegas.
The federal website, set to launch in 2026 (or early next year), is intended to connect consumers with prescription drugs at discounted prices, though it will not sell or distribute the medications directly. Instead, TrumpRx will act as a "referral site" or "search engine".
Cost Plus Drugs is deeply involved in the initiative, sharing access to its application programming interface (API) so TrumpRx can pull real-time price data. Mr. Cuban stated that CPD is "feeding [TrumpRx] daily updates".
Cuban explained that this partnership increases Cost Plus Drug’s visibility, which is beneficial because as their volumes increase, their costs go down, consequently lowering the price for patients. He expressed excitement about the collaboration.
The partnership signals an alignment on principles concerning drug costs. President Trump has already secured agreements with companies like Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and EMD Serono to introduce a “most-favored-nation” drug pricing model on the site. Under this model, drugs would be available in the U.S. at similar costs as in other wealthy nations. Mr. Cuban emphasized aligning thoughts on this most-favored-nation pricing, which President Trump advocated for over the summer.
Cuban, a long-time critic of the current system, used his keynote address to excoriate Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). He contends that PBMs are the “biggest difference” between how drugs are bought and sold in the U.S. compared to every other Western nation. Cuban blames these powerful middlemen for high drug prices, arguing that the model favors drugs offering large rebates over those that are most affordable for patients. In a push for greater transparency, Cost Plus Drugs committed to posting its Cost Plus Wellness Direct contracts online, something Cuban has criticized PBMs for failing to do.
While working closely with the administration, Cuban offered mixed sentiments regarding the overall impact of the TrumpRx program.
He acknowledged the administration’s effort, stating, "Credit where credit is due," and noting they "are trying their best to reduce the cost of prescriptions and of healthcare and of insurance". He also praised the people working on TrumpRx as "great" and deserving of "all the accolades".
However, Cuban remains skeptical about the initiative’s transformative potential. He called the effort “a good start” but was dismissive of its ultimate impact, arguing that while it "will help," it is "just superficial". Cuban does not believe the program is the kind of solution that will "change the game and change everybody's lives". This aligns with his previous assessment, where he gave TrumpRx a "B" grade because PBM stock prices were not crushed, suggesting no one expected significant disruption for the PBM industry. The Trump administration is also working with other platforms like GoodRx Holdings and pharmacy chains to support the website.
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