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The U.S. Just Put a 100% Tariff on Imported Drugs

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Nate Gregory
Published Apr 12, 2026
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Summary:
  • A new order puts 100% tariffs on patented drug imports under Section 232, starting July 31 for 17 major drug makers.
  • Steel, aluminum, and copper tariffs were changed to a flat 50% on finished products.
  • Some countries - including Japan, the EU, and South Korea - get a lower 15% rate on drug imports.

The biggest tariff on medicine in modern U.S. history just kicked in - at least on paper.

On April 2, Trump signed an order putting a 100% tariff on patented drug imports and the raw chemicals used to make them. It covers finished pills and base ingredients alike.

How It Rolls Out

The tariffs come in waves. Seventeen big drug makers face the 100% rate starting July 31.

Every other company gets hit in late September.

The break: Firms that file plans to make drugs in the U.S. - and get those plans cleared - can drop to a 20% rate. Products from Japan, the EU, South Korea, and Switzerland start at 15%.

Metals Got Reworked Too

A second order on the same day changed tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper. Finished goods made mostly from those metals now face a flat 50% rate.

The new rules made it clearer how importers should figure out what they owe.

What to Watch

If drug companies eat the tariffs, their profits take a hit. If they pass the cost along, patients pay more.

The 100% rate could go even higher - some expect it near 200% by late 2026 if firms don't move their work to the U.S. fast enough. Drug pricing just became a trade story.

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