Monday, September 29, 2025

Pharma Germany Warns of Severe Impact: 100% US Tariffs Threaten Supply Security and Competitiveness

Isolation at any cost – the 100% tariffs on imported branded and patented medicines announced by US President Donald Trump, set to take effect on October 1, are causing major concern across Europe. Pharma Germany calls this move a “massive attack on international trade and Europe’s supply security.”

“The method is brutal and questionable – but the message is clear: the US is shutting itself off and forcing industry back into its own country,” explains Dorothee Brakmann, CEO of Pharma Germany. For the German pharmaceutical industry, this is a deeply concerning development: companies are not only facing pressure from looming tariff-related sales declines but also from newly announced domestic cost-cutting measures that make investment decisions increasingly difficult.

This comes despite the EU and US having agreed just weeks ago on a 15% tariff for pharmaceuticals – with exemptions for generics to ensure stability. According to Pharma Germany, Trump’s U-turn once again demonstrates how unpredictable international trade policy has become – and how risky dependencies are for Europe.

“Europe – and especially Germany – must understand that our economic and health future is at risk if we do not remain capable of acting independently,” Brakmann stresses. In the health sector, investment, innovation, and sovereignty are essential – even in times of tight budgets. “Those who fail to act today or cut corners in the wrong places risk dependencies tomorrow that will cost us dearly – economically as well as in terms of health.”

Pharma Germany therefore calls on the German government to make investment, competitiveness, and independence central topics in upcoming pharmaceutical policy discussions. Only then can Europe build the resilience it needs to withstand an increasingly protectionist global economy.