The Trump administration is expanding its drug pricing push, with a new round of agreements expected to be announced involving Bayer, Takeda, CSL, and several mid-size biotechs. The deals follow earlier agreements struck with 17 of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies — including Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and Amgen — under a "most-favored-nation" pricing framework that ties U.S. drug prices to what patients pay in other developed countries.

Smaller and mid-sized drugmakers had been notably slow to join the effort. A Reuters report from June found that only Japan's Astellas had confirmed applying for the Medicaid pricing program, with some executives citing limited financial incentive. The new announcements signal a broader expansion of the initiative ahead of this year's midterm elections.

By the Numbers:

• U.S. patients currently pay nearly 3x more for prescription drugs than patients in other developed nations
• The administration claims its broader drug pricing push could save $64.3 billion in federal and state spending over the next decade
• 17 major drugmakers had already signed on to earlier pricing agreements

Why it matters: Drug affordability remains a top concern for American patients and policymakers alike. While the projected savings are speculative and Medicaid already receives steep discounts under existing law, the administration's push to rope in mid-size pharma signals a more sweeping effort to reshape how drugs are priced in the U.S.