According to data from the healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors, the upcoming wave of price hikes includes critical medications such as vaccines for COVID-19, RSV, and shingles, alongside the cancer treatment Ibrance. This shift signals a significant increase in volume compared to 2025, when roughly 250 drugs saw price adjustments. The median increase remains steady at 4%.
Big Pharma Plans 2026 Price Hikes Despite Trump’s Claims
While President Donald Trump promotes the narrative that his administration has slashed prescription drug costs by as much as 600%, industry data reveals a different trajectory. Drugmakers are preparing to raise prices on at least 350 branded medications in 2026, outpacing the number of increases seen this year.
Notably, several pharmaceutical giants involved in these hikes—including Pfizer, Novartis, GSK, and Boehringer Ingelheim—previously entered into voluntary agreements with the White House to lower costs on a limited subset of prescriptions. Dr. Benjamin Rome, a health policy researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, noted that these deals function primarily as a superficial remedy. He described the projected savings as a mere drop in the bucket that fails to address the underlying systemic drivers of high costs. Patient advocates, including Merith Basey of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, argue that such undisclosed voluntary agreements are no substitute for comprehensive legislative reform aimed at holding the pharmaceutical industry accountable.
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