‘Expect India to be concerned’: US official as Trump announces 200% tariffs on generic drugs

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that he would expect India to be “concerned” after US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would impose 200% tariffs on generic drugs from August 2028, Forbes reported.

Generics are non-branded medicines with the same active ingredients as other drugs already authorised for sale.

Rubio was asked whether India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had brought up the proposed tariffs during their meeting in the Philippines’ Manila.

“I mean, not with me, we did not get into depth on pharmaceuticals today,” Rubio told a reporter. “Obviously, I would expect them to be concerned about it, but they did not raise it today.”

On Tuesday, Trump announced that all generic drugs being ​brought into the US will continue not to attract any levies for two years starting from August 1. However, after the two-year period, the tariff rate will be raised ​to 100% for one year and to ​200% thereafter.

The move is expected to impact India adversely as the country supplies nearly half of the generic drugs sold in the US, according to the IQVIA Institute. This helps access to critical medicines at affordable prices.

India exported pharmaceuticals worth $8.7 billion to the US in 2024. This accounted for 31% of India’s pharmaceutical exports. Most of the drugs exported...

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