31 January 2017 - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday met with top executives from some of the biggest drug makers, calling on them to boost U.S. production and lower prices, while he also promised to speed up approval times for new medicines.
Trump reiterated that the government was paying too much for medicines in its health programs for older, disabled and poor people and said he would soon appoint a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration leader.
At the same time, the meeting between Trump and the pharmaceutical executives signalled a defusing of tensions between the two that have kept drug stocks in check since the presidential election. Shares of most of the group rallied Tuesday following the meeting, even as the broader stock market slid.