Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease Urges President Trump to Withdraw "Most Favored Nation" Executive Order Threatening Innovation and Patient Access to Treatment

May 12, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) issued the following statement in strong opposition to President Donald Trump’s "Most Favored Nation" (MFN) executive order, which aims to tie prescription drug prices in the U.S. to those in foreign countries:

“President Trump’s Most Favored Nation executive order mistakenly assumes that America can maintain its world-leading medical innovation while adopting the same foreign government price controls he has long criticized. The unintended consequences of this policy proposal would not only paralyze research, development, and innovation in America but would cause disruption across the U.S. health care ecosystem. Threatening access to lifesaving medicines and discouraging the discovery of breakthrough treatments, especially for millions living with one or more chronic conditions, seems quite counter to efforts aimed at making America healthy now or in the future.

"If implemented, this executive order would effectively import the very systems of government intervention that stifle innovation and restrict access abroad. It would have the same harmful impact here at home, undermining progress in treating chronic conditions, like diabetes, cancer, heart disease and many rare diseases in the United States.

"Pharmaceutical price controls disproportionately harm the most vulnerable, including both Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries. These patients deserve better solutions focused on improving their care and overall health outcomes, not policies that delay or deny access to critical treatments.

“Compounding these concerns, foreign price setting systems often rely on discriminatory value assessments that restrict access based on a person’s age, health status, or disability. The National Council on Disability has documented these harms, and PFCD stands firmly against discrimination in all forms.

“Well more than half of American adults live with at least one chronic condition, and chronic disease accounts for the majority of U.S. health care spending. With the potential to save and improve lives through continued medical advancement, now is the time to foster innovation, not hinder it with misguided policies that are not focused on the realities for patients.

“We urge President Trump to immediately withdraw this executive order and instead pursue solutions that protect both patient access and innovation. Americans’ health must be the priority.”