Tariffs and Tribulations! Will Trump's Gamble Poison the Pharmaceutical Industry?

A Witcher's Grumble: Politics and Potions

Hmm tariffs. Sounds like another mess cooked up by mages in pointy hats only this time it's… politicians? Trump they call him. Claims he'll slap tariffs on pharmaceuticals. Right. As if the world needed another reason for folk to be coughing up coin. Always the same; one man's quest is another man's curse. Reminds me of that Djinn I dealt with once... wished for someone to shut up and nearly strangled them with their own vocal cords. Careful what you wish for eh?

Stock Market Swings: Signs and Portents

So one day the shares are up next they're down. Like a leshen’s mood swings unpredictable and potentially deadly. Apparently Trump blathered about tariffs the market had a panic attack then he backpedaled and everyone’s back to… well still being nervous but less so. Some companies like Eli Lilly AbbVie Bristol Myers Squibb Regeneron Merck Pfizer Johnson & Johnson and Amgen took a dive then bounced back. Typical. Just like contracts these things always have a catch. And always someone ends up shortchanged. You know reminds me of that time I tried to haggle with a Doppler. Turns out they don't have a solid form of their own and thus no currency. Lesson learned...sort of.

Made in Where Now? The Reshoring Ruckus

Trump wants these companies to bring their manufacturing back to the US eh? Says it'll incentivize 'em. Good luck with that. Easier said than done like convincing a Bruxa to take up knitting. They already moved production to China and India where it's cheaper. Trying to drag it back is gonna be a costly slow process and could screw up the whole supply chain. Which means higher prices for potions I mean uh drugs. And nobody wants that.

Analysts' Angst: Complexity and Costs

These Wall Street types are wringing their hands. Apparently the analysts like this Evan Seigerman fellow say it’s not as simple as moving where 'someone screws in little screws to make an iPhone.' Sounds about right. The process is complex these drugmakers use manufacturing sites all over the place. Seigerman figures the companies will just wait out Trump's presidency. Smart move. Sometimes the best way to win a fight is to simply not fight it at all. Like trying to argue with a troll. Pointless.

Political Potions: Democrats' Distress

Now some House Democrats are getting in on it worried about supply disruptions and rationing of medicines even death. Dramatic but not entirely off the mark. If getting a decent blade is hard enough imagine trying to find the right remedy in the middle of a plague. "The supply disruptions of critical medical products will unavoidably hurt U.S. patients force providers to make impossible rationing decisions and potentially even result in death as treatments are delayed or more effective medicines and products are swapped for less effective alternatives," the lawmakers are saying. Gods the way they talk sometimes... like they're auditioning for a play. Still they have a point.

The Price of Pride: R&D on the Chopping Block

Eli Lilly's CEO Dave Ricks is complaining. They invested billions to boost US manufacturing but these tariffs could force them to cut staff and worse R&D. "Typically that will be in reduction of staff or research and development and I predict R & D will come first. That's a disappointing outcome," Ricks said. So less innovation and more layoffs? Just another day in the world. Makes you wonder does anyone actually think about the consequences or are they all just playing Gwent with people's lives? I've seen less callousness from Drowners.