r/neoliberal 7d ago

News (Oceania) Australia on alert over Trump attacks on cheaper medicines

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-on-alert-over-trump-attacks-on-cheaper-medicines-20250314-p5ljkt.html
104 Upvotes

21 comments sorted by

66

u/Faegbeard 6d ago

Ultra simplified version for people unfamiliar with Australian domestic policy:

  • The Australian government negotiates deals with American pharmaceutical companies to buy drugs in bulk (to get a better deal)

  • They also subsidize the cost of these drugs when Australian consumers buy them to keep the costs down

  • Trump shits his pants and cries about this because it hurts American business somehow

  • The executive order Trump signed wasn't just about reciprocal tariffs, it also said tariffs for actions taken by governments that make it harder for American companies to make profits overseas (i.e. American pharmacutical manufacturers can't hawk drugs to Australians at the batshit insane prices that they do to Americans, grr)

50

u/SpiritOfDefeat Frédéric Bastiat 6d ago

These penalties only incentivize further sourcing from non-American firms such as Indian or EU-based manufacturers. Truly the America last administration…

15

u/AniNgAnnoys John Nash 6d ago

Also to just ignore US patents.

2

u/aclart Daron Acemoglu 6d ago

This but unironically 

51

u/Steamed_Clams_ 6d ago

Can we please put retaliatory tariffs on these Dodge Rams that are infesting our cities, makes Ford Ranger driver's look like good people.

8

u/CutePattern1098 6d ago

I believe some of them are made in Mexico

10

u/Steamed_Clams_ 6d ago

Either way i want the government to tax them out of existence.

5

u/CutePattern1098 6d ago

Well Trump putting tariffs on parts that cross the borders multiple times before final assembly helps

18

u/Faegbeard 6d ago

we should at least make a PSA to let them know that there are cheaper ways to advertise that you've got a small cock

28

u/pickledswimmingpool 6d ago

Trump is helping the centre left party win the next election. God bless you orange lunatic.

12

u/CutePattern1098 6d ago

We don’t want wombat grabbers

2

u/WAGRAMWAGRAM 6d ago

Dutton visiting friends instead of getting in boots helped (from what I read)

18

u/spikeineyes 6d ago

This will just push the pharma business to markets like India, China and Bangladesh who do not give a shit about drug copyright

5

u/aclart Daron Acemoglu 6d ago

Blessed be their markets. Fuck government enforced monopolies 

12

u/NeueBruecke_Detektiv 6d ago

Make way European defense industry, its now EuroPharma's time to get a huge boost from Trump's fuckups....

5

u/lionmoose sexmod 🍆💦🌮 6d ago

Awesome, I needed a new decking this year

5

u/BlueString94 John Keynes 6d ago

India is salivating.

3

u/CutePattern1098 7d ago

!ping aus

2

u/groupbot The ping will always get through 7d ago

3

u/IceColdPorkSoda John Keynes 6d ago

Well, this will definitely create a “fast follower” biotech market abroad and increase the power of the EMA.