The campaign to “make America healthy again” and the announcement of Robert F Kennedy (RFK) as US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to the top health office – has sent jitters through the pharmaceutical industry and health circles, especially in the US.

A known vaccine sceptic, RFK was catapulted into popular discussion during Covid-19, when he raised concerns on vaccines, among other things. More recently, his campaign put the spotlight on concerns like obesity – a segment that is a major draw for pharmaceutical companies looking at weight-loss drugs. RFK also trained his guns on US health agencies, including the US Food and Drug Administration.

While his nomination still has to clear the Senate, Indian drugmakers are watching the developments closely, as they supplied four out of 10 of all prescriptions filled in the US (2022), according to a recent IQVIA study, commissioned by the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA).

Announcing RFK for the job of Secretary, Health and Human Services (HHS), Trump said on X (formerly Twitter), “For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to public health.”  

HHS will play a big role “in helping ensure that everybody is protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming health crisis in this country,” Trump tweeted, adding that Kennedy “will restore these agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of transparency,” he added.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) President and CEO, Stephen J. Ubl, countered, “This industry is a crown jewel of the American economy, giving American patients more medicine choices than anywhere else in the world, and supporting millions of high-paying, high-tech jobs around the country.” 

India pitch

Biswajit Dhar, Distinguished Professor, Council for Social Development, pointed to the end of Trump’s first stint at the White House, when he issued an Executive Order to lower drug prices and put America First. The order called for drugs in the US to be priced at the lowest price that it sold in other markets. Besides, if the FDA is under the scanner, it could bring in greater transparency – possibly a better sign for the Indian pharma, he added.

IPA’s Sudarshan Jain explains that affordable medicines and healthcare security are a priority for any Government. And India can play that pivotal role, supplying quality-assured affordable medicines to the US, he said.

Related Topics