On August 5th, the US President announced plans to implement a phased tariff policy on imported pharmaceuticals, a move that has attracted widespread attention across the global pharmaceutical sector. According to his statement, the US will first impose a “small tariff” on imported drugs as the initial phase of the policy implementation, followed by a gradual increase in tariff rates over approximately one year, forming a phased tax hike rhythm.​

The policy outlines a detailed timeline for tariff rate increases: within a maximum period of one and a half years, tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals will rise from the initial “small amount” to 150%, and subsequent to that, the rate will be further significantly increased to 250%. Such a substantial tariff increase with a clear timeframe is relatively rare in the history of global pharmaceutical trade. For overseas pharmaceutical companies reliant on the US market, this means sustained cost escalation, potentially forcing them to reassess their export strategies to the US. Meanwhile, cost pressures will gradually emerge for US domestic drug importers, which may in turn affect the supply and prices of pharmaceuticals in the US market.​

From a policy background perspective, the US’s move to impose additional tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals is presumably intended to use tariff measures to drive pharmaceutical industry resources toward domestic markets, aiming to boost the development of local pharmaceutical production capacity. However, this policy has also raised concerns about the stability of global pharmaceutical supply chains, particularly in disease treatment areas dependent on imported drugs, which may face challenges related to changes in drug accessibility.​