During a recent breakfast meeting in Washington, U.S. officials conveyed a message to German Ambassador Jens Hanefeld: Germany should increase its payments for pharmaceuticals. This discussion, which included U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and chief health department adviser Chris Klomp, was part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration. The administration sought to have other countries pay more for medications, thereby allowing the U.S. to pay less, according to a person familiar with the meeting. U.S. officials discussed potentially using tariffs under Section 301, a measure empowering the government to address trade practices deemed “unfair.” This approach mirrored previous strategies of threatening new tariffs to pressure other nations into paying higher drug costs. While Ambassador Hanefeld agreed to review the issue with German officials, no deal was reached, the source indicated.
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