Until now, generics were exempt from the US tariffs on medicines announced in April of this year.Image: Keystone
US President Donald Trump has announced tariffs of 100 percent on imports of generic drugs into the US from August 2028. According to him, the measure aims to relocate the production of pharmaceuticals back to the USA.
July 22, 2026, 02:18Jul 22, 2026, 4:24 am
“Starting August 1, 2026, a zero percent tariff will continue to apply to all generic drugs imported into the United States for a period of two years, after which the tariff will be increased to 100 percent for a period of one year and to 200 percent thereafter,” the US President wrote on his social network Truth Social. In his post, the Republican left it open what legal basis he would rely on for the threatened tariffs.
Generics are medications that are similar to brand-name drugs, but are usually significantly cheaper. So far, generics have been exempt from the US tariffs on medicines announced in April of this year, which can be up to 100 percent. However, the US President gave his Trade Secretary Howard Lutnick a year to reassess the situation and, if necessary, recommend new measures regarding the import of generic drugs.
Other medications are not affected
The measure aims to “relocate the production of generic drugs back to America,” with companies that decide not to build plants within the deadline set for them being penalized, the US President continued. The goal of this policy is to “protect the people of the United States.” The measures already in force with regard to other medicines remain in force unchanged.
Trump wants to reduce the comparatively high drug prices in the USA. He accuses manufacturers of distorting competition at the expense of US companies by producing more cheaply abroad. In the USA, research in the pharmaceutical sector is particularly expensive.
The USA is the most important sales market for Swiss pharmaceutical companies. As part of the initial announcement of tariffs on the import of patent-protected medicines, a White House decree at the beginning of April 2026 stated that a reduced tariff rate of 15 percent should apply to Swiss pharmaceutical exports.
At the time, the state government described the introduction of additional US tariffs on pharmaceutical products as “an additional burden for the exporting Swiss pharmaceutical industry,” as the Federal Department of Economics, Education and Research (WBF) said on Friday at the request of Keystone-SDA. (sda/afp/dpa)