Trump announces up to 100% tariff on pharma imports from Oct. 1; Indian firms likely hit

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “Starting October 1st, 2025, we will be imposing a 100% tariff on any branded or patented pharmaceutical product, unless a company is building its pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in America.”

He clarified that “IS BUILDING” would mean “breaking ground and/or under construction.” Products would be exempt if domestic production had begun, he added.

Trump also unveiled new duties of 50% on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30% on upholstered furniture, and 25% on heavy trucks, citing what he described as a “large-scale flooding” of imports.

The latest measures could deal a major blow to India’s pharmaceutical industry, which had largely escaped earlier tariff rounds, Forbes India reported. The United States remains a critical market for Indian companies, which supply more than 45% of generic drugs and about 15% of biosimilars used there.

Trade ties between Washington and New Delhi have already been strained after Trump’s administration imposed 50% tariffs on a range of Indian exports.

Separately, Trump signed a petition to impose a $100,000 application fee for H-1B visas, a program heavily used by Indian technology professionals, drawing sharp criticism from the tech industry.