[Salon] Pill Pain



Bloomberg

Pill pain

President Donald Trump’s call for 100% tariffs on branded and patented drug imports could raise prices for Americans, though many manufacturers could avoid the levies thanks to their investments in the US. 

But India, often called the “pharmacy of the world,” is a major supplier of cheaper generic drugs and has largely been exempt from tariffs. The US is its biggest export market, which was worth about $9 billion in 2024, according to the UN Comtrade Database

India’s generic drugs supplies were spared by Trump’s tariff announcement last week but he told CNBC in August that levies on imported medicines could end up facing levies as high as 250% over time. This means there’s no immunity per se for the non-patented drugs.

To add to that, India has been in Trump’s crosshairs in the past few months. In August, he sharply increased tariffs on Indian goods in retaliation for its purchases of Russian oil.

Any levy on Indian drug supplies could sharply increase prices of oral contraceptives in the US, which now generally cost less than $50, according to Planned Parenthood. 

Two-thirds of all birth control pills prescribed in the US last year were manufactured by just two companies in India, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals and Lupin, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of Symphony Health data. 

Soaring duties on imports could deter companies from prioritizing the contraceptives market, especially for low-margin generics, says Kim Villanueva, president of the National Organization for Women in Washington. This would result in women paying  more for the pills and their insurance premiums, she says.

With wafer-thin margins due to intense price competition, Indian firms are “hardly at a position to absorb” any tariffs, so they might stop making certain therapies for the US, according to Bloomberg Intelligence’s Ann-Hunter van Kirk.

And though the Trump administration has been seeking to lower drug prices, birth control might not be a priority, she says, since Republicans have fought to limit reproductive rights.

Birth control pills may not be the only medication to feel price pressures. More than half the US prescriptions for hypertension and depression treatments come from Indian generic drugmakers, Symphony data shows.

Many Indian firms also have facilities in the US, but it’s not clear which of their drugs are made in those plants and thus can escape potential tariffs. Glenmark and Lupin declined to respond to requests for comment.

About two-thirds of US women aged 15 to 49 take contraceptives, not just to prevent pregnancy but also to regulate periods, manage endometriosis and treat migraines, Villanueva says.

Her organization had urged members to reach out to their congressional representatives and push back against any proposed tariffs. Contraceptives, she warns, are “just the tip of the iceberg.” — Satviki Sanjay




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