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Trump announces 100% tariff on drugs from Oct 1, Indian pharma exports at risk
Trump tariff on pharma drugs: The US is the largest market for Indian drugmakers, especially in the affordable generic medicines space.
Donald Trump on Thursday announced a 100 per cent tariff on imports of branded or patented pharmaceutical drugs from October 1, a move that could have major repercussions for key Indian drugmakers.
“Starting October 1st, 2025, we will be imposing a 100% Tariff on any branded or patented Pharmaceutical Product, unless a Company IS BUILDING their Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plant in America. ‘IS BUILDING’ will be defined as, ‘breaking ground’ and/or ‘under construction,’” the US President wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The announcement extends beyond pharmaceuticals. Donald Trump said 50 per cent import taxes will be levied on kitchen cabinets, 30 percent on upholstered furniture, and 25 per cent on heavy trucks.
In a separate post, he wrote of a 25 percent tariff on "all 'Heavy (Big) Trucks' made in other parts of the world" to support US manufacturers such as "Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, Mack Trucks and others."
He said the truck tariffs were "for many reasons, but above all else, for National Security purposes!"
Earlier this year, the Trump administration launched a probe into imports of trucks to "determine the effects of national security."
Why this matters for India
The US is the largest market for Indian drugmakers, especially in the affordable generic medicines space.
India exported $3.6 billion ( ₹31,626 crore) worth of pharmaceutical products to the US in 2024, and another $3.7 billion ( ₹32,505 crore) in just the first half of 2025.
Companies such as Dr Reddy’s, Sun Pharma, Lupin, and Aurobindo have long benefited from the US market’s reliance on lower-cost Indian generics.
Although Trump’s tariff announcement appears aimed mainly at branded and patented drugs - segments dominated by multinational giants - uncertainty looms over whether complex generics and specialty medicines from India might also fall under scrutiny.
Indian exports are already facing 50% tariffs in the US, which according to Trump also includes a 25% 'penalty' for continued purchase of Russian oil.
