‘Turning point’ for global pharma trade, industry warns after Trump tariff decision

After US President Donald Trump announced a 15% tariff on European pharmaceutical imports – alongside potential levies of up to 100% on innovative drugs – industry experts warn the move marks a major shift in how medicines are treated in global trade, with far-reaching consequences.

It is now official: medicine supply has been deemed a security issue for Trump. The measures follow a Section 232 investigation that frames pharmaceutical supply as a national security issue. For analysts, this signals a departure from traditional trade logic.

“It is a fundamental shift in how pharma and biotech are discussed, that the US administration sees pharma and biotech as a sector that is of importance for national security”, says Diederik Stadig, healthcare expert from the Dutch banking group ING.

He told Euractiv this is not just about reducing dependency on supply chains. These are heavily intertwined and, particularly for generics – which are exempt from the tariffs – production…