Dear Readers,

We are sharing our previously reported story from a few weeks ago on the impact of tariffs. This was published prior to the latest unilateral tariff measures from the U.S.

We will be following up on the consequences on global health.

Also see:

Staggering U.S. Tariffs Begin as Trump Widens Trade War: NYT

How pharma became Switzerland’s Achilles heel in US trade talks: Swissinfo

Thanks!

Priti

Hi,

American trade policy flip-flops that have weaponized tariffs in a unilateral war against the rules-based system, will impact pharmaceutical production in ways we do not fully understand yet. This will have consequences of course, for the European Union, and for other major players in the sector globally.

U.S. President Trump has indicated reciprocal tariffs of 30% starting next month on the European Union. EU’s trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has warned that, such levies on EU imports could make trade “almost impossible”.

In today’s edition, Niranjan Jose closely examines the effect of American maneuvers on pharma supply chains and its impact across the Atlantic. Jose, is a part of the annual Geneva Health Files fellowship program. He is studying international law at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, specializing in trade, climate governance, and emerging technologies.

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More soon!

Best,

Priti

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I. ANALYSIS

Trump's Attempt At Reconfiguring Pharmaceutical Supply Chains And Its Effect On Transatlantic Relations

By Niranjan Jose

Jose is an international law candidate at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, specializing in trade, climate governance, and emerging technologies. He can be reached at nirjose93@gmail.com.

In the midst of attempts at rapid reshoring of manufacturing, U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of tariffs on pharmaceutical imports poses a significant threat to the cost of prescriptions for Americans, potentially increasing them by up to $51 billion annually. Transatlantic relations will be strained by the United States' plan to decrease its dependence on foreign medical products and redirect drug manufacturing to the United States. European leaders are concerned about the potential economic repercussions and have cautioned that the move could disrupt essential medical collaboration, thereby affecting patients on both sides of the Atlantic.

In his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders (EOs) targeted at overturning key healthcare initiatives adopted by the Biden administration. While the majority of these require additional regulatory or legislative action to fully implement, they represent a significant shift to Trump's "Make America Healthy Again" plan. During a private White House meeting in February 2025, Trump had warned several pharmaceutical CEOs that he intended to place pharmaceutical tariffs and that they should relocate drug manufacturing back to the United States, as reported by Bloomberg.