Health Secretary defends president's drug price math
Introduction
On April 22, 2026, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke to a Senate committee. He defended President Donald Trump's claims about discounts on medicine. Trump's claims were not correct in math. Kennedy said the president uses a different way to calculate discounts.
Main Body
Senator Elizabeth Warren asked about a drug called Protonix. On a government website (TrumpRx), the price was higher than at a store called Costco. Trump said discounts were 400% to 1,500%. That is not possible. Kennedy said if a drug costs $600 and then costs $10, that is a 600% discount. But normal math says it is about 98.3% discount. A discount cannot be more than 100%. Trump has said these things since 2025. He said media does not report them. In 2026, he said the discount depends on how you calculate. He still says 50% to 90% or 400% to 700%.
Conclusion
The talk shows a difference between what the government says and normal math. Kennedy did not fix the wrong numbers. The Trump administration still says the same things.