Alliance: Tariffs Could Compromise Life-Saving Medications
Published May 6, 2025
Today, the Alliance for Aging Research provided input on the Department of Commerce’s Section 232 investigation into pharmaceutical imports. The letter explains how proposed tariffs could compromise access to consistent and affordable life-saving medications for millions of older Americans.
An excerpt: “As you know, Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 authorizes the President to impose tariffs when specific imports pose a threat to national security. While the Alliance affirms the President’s stance that the U.S. should strengthen our domestic production of pharmaceuticals, tariffs are a blunt instrument that would likely lead to shortages, inaccessibility of care, price increases for consumers, and worse relationships with allied countries.
The older adult population disproportionately relies on prescription medications to manage complex health issues such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and autoimmune disorders. Nearly nine in 10 older adults ages 65 and older take at least one prescription medication. More than two-thirds take three or more medications. Yet unlike consumers in other tariffed sectors, who can choose between different makes of tech products or vehicles, patients do not choose the medicines they are prescribed.”