TrumpRx arrived in early 2026 with an ambitious promise from the Trump administration: align what Americans pay with the lowest prices in other developed countries. A new analysis from KFF presents a far less consistent picture of the program’s results so far.

KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research, polling, and news organization, examined 32 branded drugs without generic alternatives. Each medication was listed on TrumpRx and had publicly available pricing in comparable countries such as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

TrumpRx offered a lower price than the international average for 17 of the 32 medications. Prices for the other 15 drugs exceeded the average abroad, while 13 cost more through TrumpRx than in every country included in the comparison.

“There's no across-the-board pattern of higher prices for brand-name drugs listed on TrumpRx compared to other countries, but there's also no consistent pattern of lower prices,” said Juliette Cubanski, vice president and director of the program on Medicare policy at KFF.

Cubanski said patients have no guarantee that a branded drug offered through TrumpRx will cost less than that medication would in another country. The findings suggest that the platform should be treated as one pricing option rather than an automatic source of the lowest available price.

The analysis has an important limitation. KFF relied on publicly listed prices in other countries, and those figures do not necessarily represent what patients pay out of pocket when using the healthcare systems available to them.

A representative from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said TrumpRx “continues to deliver measurable savings for American patients nationwide, in many cases offering drugs at prices below the average prices paid in comparable developed countries.” The representative cited $700 million in prescription drug savings through the program.

Concerns about American prescription prices extend beyond TrumpRx. An AARP report published in May found that list prices for 25 branded drugs had risen by an average of 81% in the United States since entering the market, while prices across 19 other “high-income countries” fell by an average of 13%.

AARP acknowledged that efforts were underway to address the longstanding problem, including the administration’s push for “Most Favored Nation” pricing. TrumpRx identifies branded medications covered by those pricing agreements with manufacturers as “Presidential deals.”

The platform began listing hundreds of generic drug prices in May, and additional prescription medications continue to be added. In August, the Trump administration cited Bureau of Labor Statistics data while reporting the largest annual decline in prescription drug prices in more than 60 years.

The KFF analysis found that the international comparison varied sharply by medication. Five of the 32 drugs carried the lowest listed price on TrumpRx, while 13 had the highest price among all countries examined.

KFF did not compare current American costs with what patients paid for the same drugs before TrumpRx launched. That means its findings do not establish how much the platform itself may have reduced prices over time.

“Prescription drug affordability remains a serious concern for millions of Americans, and there is still significant work to do to bring down prices,” said Leigh Purvis, prescription drug policy principal at AARP. “We always recommend comparing your options.”

Consumers can also examine discount programs, compare local and online pharmacies, and ask their doctors about generic equivalents. GoodRx and Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs are among the other websites offering discounted prescription medications, although their prices, available drugs, and instructions can differ.

TrumpRx may be useful for uninsured people or patients seeking branded drugs their plans do not cover. The source notes that people seeking GLP-1 medications for weight loss or fertility drugs may find savings when insurance does not provide access.

Insurance can change the calculation because copays will usually cost less than TrumpRx’s discounted cash price. TrumpRx itself advises: “Insured patients should always check the TrumpRx price against those offered through their insurance companies.”

“It really does boil down to using TrumpRx as a way to shop around on the prices of medications, but I don't think people can assume that they'll be paying the lowest price for the medication if they use the Trump Rx website,” Cubanski said.