President announces new tariffs, including for certain pharmaceuticals, set to begin Oct. 1

President Trump, late Sept. 25, announced that starting Oct. 1, the U.S. will impose a 100% tariff on any branded or patented pharmaceutical product, unless a company is building its pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in America. The president's post on Truth Social said "is building" will be defined as "breaking ground" or "under construction" and that there would be no tariff on "these Pharmaceutical Products if construction has started."

As of 3 p.m. ET on Sept. 26, the administration has not released any official documents related to the tariff announcement.

The AHA in May submitted comments to the Department of Commerce on its Section 232 national security investigation of pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients imports. The AHA urged the administration to maintain tariff exceptions, particularly for products already experiencing shortages and for countries that produce a significant portion of the U.S. pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients market supply.

"The lives of patients often depend on the ready availability of drugs to respond to emergent conditions like heart attacks and infections, and other critical illnesses like cancer and organ failure," the letter said. "The supply chain for pharmaceutical products is highly complex and requires hospitals to draw on both domestic and international sources. For many patients, even a temporary disruption in their access to these needed medications could put them at significant risk."