The pharmaceutical industry is bracing for chaos if President Trump follows through on his threat to impose "a major tariff" on prescription drug imports.

Tariffs would disrupt international supply chains, force companies to decide whether to pass increased costs on to patients and exacerbate existing drug shortages.

The administration wants more drug companies to onshore their manufacturing, but experts said such a process would take years, while the pain from tariffs could be much more immediate.

“We’re going to be announcing very shortly a major tariff on pharmaceuticals,” Trump said Tuesday, without elaborating on details.

He said it is a “tremendous problem” that “the United States can no longer produce enough antibiotics to treat our sick.”

Trump on Wednesday announced a 90-day pause on most of his country-specific “reciprocal” tariffs, but Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that would not apply to sector-specific tariffs such as pharmaceuticals.

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