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News & Current Events Apr 3, 2026 at 12:03 AM

Australia says it won’t raise drug prices after Trump’s 100% tariff on pharmaceuticals imported into US

Posted by CcryMeARiver

Australia says it won’t raise drug prices after Trump’s 100% tariff on pharmaceuticals imported into US
the Guardian
Australia says it won’t raise drug prices after Trump’s 100% tariff on pharmaceuticals imported into US
Health minister Mark Butler says federal government is ‘not negotiating’ when it comes to removing price protections on common medications
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2HDFloppyDisk Apr 3, 2026 +35
Why would they raise prices when American consumers are the ones paying tariffs. God people are stupid.
35
AstroPengling Apr 3, 2026 +12
It's the whole "most favourable country" thing. We pay less than the US for pharmaceuticals because of our Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Trump and Big Pharma in the US don't like that, so they want to punish us for it. I'm sure there's murmurings of "raise your prices and we won't hit you for 100% tariffs so less people buy your stuff". The worst part is that we don't get new medicines as quickly as the US or sometimes at all because they hate that our government subsidises medicines. Other countries get the same treatment.
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CcryMeARiver Apr 3, 2026 +12
Trump shoots Americans in the wallet yet again.
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ddark4 Apr 3, 2026 +8
Why would they? It’s the importers who pay the tariff, not the Australian drug manufacturers. I don’t know how many times we have to go through this.  
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MentalSky_ Apr 3, 2026 +2
Trump believes foreign pharmaceutical companies will panic and want to make a deal.  Chart their citizens more. And charge US citizens less
2
UncleDaddy_00 Apr 3, 2026 +7
Folks need to read before they comment but the jist of the situation is that Trump is pissed that other countries people pay less for drugs than Americans. This is an age old problem of his. In Australia and Canada and other countries their governments buy in bulk and have deals with suppliers to keep prices low. You can do that when you are their #1 customer by multiples. Americans are basically buying their medicine one phaemacy chain per state at a time so the costs are high. They have no leverage to negotiate. Trumps answer this is to blackmail the drug manufacturers.
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PriMeMachiNe Apr 3, 2026 +1
Ahhh if only their logistics skills on the battlefield could transfer into policy making
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whydontyousuckmyball Apr 3, 2026 +1
So how would this work if Trump defunds medicare and medicaid? Are all the eldery, ill, and disabled expexted to die early?
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CcryMeARiver Apr 3, 2026 +1
[Pretty much.](https://cultureandpolitics.org/2015/08/30/useless-mouths/)
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geoffvro Apr 3, 2026 +1
Australia basically saying F*** You Trump
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CcryMeARiver Apr 3, 2026 +1
[Our PBS](https://www.pbs.gov.au/info/about-the-pbs) as amended has been in place since 1948. It's more F*** you Big Pharma.
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