The White House has postponed the rollout of TrumpRx, a federal initiative designed to let patients buy medicines directly from pharmaceutical companies. The specific date for the platform's launch remains uncertain. However, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. reportedly told Cabinet members that it may go online "probably in the next 10 days," according to Politico.
The cause of the delay has not been confirmed, but Brian Reid, principal at Reid Strategic and a health consultant, suggested anti-kickback issues could be involved. “In any other administration, it would 100 percent be the [anti-kickback statute] stuff,” Reid told Politico. “It’s clear there’s a lawyer somewhere at HHS who has concerns about anti-kickback.”
Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General released an advisory bulletin to guide pharmaceutical companies on how to participate in TrumpRx without violating federal anti-kickback laws. The guidance recommends that drug purchases should not be billed to Medicare, Medicaid or other federal programs; patients must have valid prescriptions from independent prescribers; and controlled substances should not be offered through the platform.
Pharmaceutical firms are also advised against using TrumpRx as a means to promote other reimbursable products or making direct-to-consumer pricing dependent on future purchases.
Major drugmakers have expressed interest in joining TrumpRx. Pfizer was among the first to announce its participation in September 2025 by offering some drugs at an average discount of 50%. AstraZeneca followed with three inhalers discounted between 96% and 654%, based on information from a White House fact sheet.
Sanofi joined last month with an average discount promise of 61% for certain diabetes, cardiovascular and cancer drugs.
Despite these moves, some experts question whether TrumpRx will deliver significant savings for most Americans. Jason Shafrin, senior managing director at FTI Consulting’s Center for Healthcare Economics & Policy, wrote in an email to BioSpace in November 2025: “Many insured individuals—especially those under Medicare Part D—already face low or zero out-of-pocket costs due to coverage caps.” Shafrin added: “Only the uninsured or those with high-deductible plans might experience net savings through DTC purchases, while the majority of insured patients would pay less through traditional insurance channels.”
