With U.S. President Donald Trump saying he will impose a 100% tariff on imported medicines, countries that have already concluded trade deals with the United States are expected to be excluded.
Reuters and Bloomberg reported on the 26th (local time), citing White House officials, that "countries such as the European Union (EU) and Japan that have signed trade agreements with the United States will keep the tariff cap at 15% under existing accords."
A day earlier, President Trump declared, "If you do not have a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in the United States, we will impose a 100% tariff on all brand-name and patented medicines starting Oct. 1, 2025." However, the White House explained that under already concluded agreements, the EU and Japan are exceptions.
The EU, in a joint statement last month, agreed to ensure that final tariff rates on medicines, semiconductors and lumber do not exceed 15%. Japan also agreed to receive most-favored-nation treatment, but this was reportedly not included in a recently signed executive order. Even so, the White House confirmed that "Japanese medicines will also be subject to a 15% tariff under the agreement."
Korea reached a principled agreement on a comprehensive trade deal with the United States in late Jul., and at the time U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick noted that "Korea will not be treated less favorably than other countries." However, because the final text agreement and signing have not yet been completed, whether tariffs will apply remains uncertain.
Reuters, citing officials, reported that "the United Kingdom, which concluded a trade agreement with the United States ahead of the EU under a separate track, is expected to see the 100% tariff remain in place because negotiations on the medicines sector have not been completed."
Arriving in New York that day, President Trump told reporters, "Many companies are coming into the United States, and they will not pay tariffs," adding, "If we had not pushed tariffs, corporations would not have come to the United States."