The president has been tougher on drug companies than Barack Obama on an issue that animates voters of all political stripes. When Nashville native Robyn Erickson came to the defense of Donald Trump during a mid-October town hall in Tennessee organized by OZY, she didn’t give the typical litany of responses — the economy or conservative judges or even immigration. Challenging suggestions that the president has not achieved meaningful successes in office, Erickson, a conservative, said, “There have been more generic drugs approved in the last year than at any other time.” She added that the president had helped negotiate lower drug prices and alternatives to Big Pharma drugs for doctors to prescribe. “How many people know there is no longer a muzzle over your pharmacist’s mouth?” The moment was a reminder of how Trump’s drug politics, particularly around pricing and opioid abuse, remain attractive two years after his election. As Erickson stated, the Food and Drug Administration under Trump has approved more generic drugs than ever before, clearing a record 971 during fiscal year 2018. The president also signed two bills in October designed to prevent “gag order” agreements prohibiting pharmacists from helping patients find lower-cost alternatives to the big-money brands. | 