USTRx Act

This bill targets wealthy countries that keep drug prices low in ways the U.S. sees as unfair. It says those policies underpay for U.S.-developed medicines, weaken the push to discover new treatments, and can limit Americans’ access to new cures. It calls for other countries to use fair, open, and market‑based rules and to give U.S. products full access to their markets.

It would create a Chief Pharmaceutical Trade Negotiator in the U.S. Trade Representative’s office to lead talks, enforce trade deals, and act when a high‑income country’s rules hurt U.S. market access. The office must post a yearly public report on each “high‑income” country (as defined by the World Bank), review their drug policies, and say if those policies are unfair or block U.S. products. If a problem is found, a response plan must be produced within 30 days and can include trade actions .

Key points

• Who is affected: U.S. patients and taxpayers; U.S. drug makers; governments of high‑income countries with strict drug‑pricing rules .
• What changes: a new top drug trade negotiator; yearly public reports on each high‑income country’s policies; faster U.S. responses, including possible trade investigations or penalties .
• When: reports are annual; response plans are due within 30 days after a problem is identified.