Trump changed the drug-price game. Now everyone is gaming the system

Published September 28, 2026 10:00am ET



President Donald Trump’s most-favored-nation drug policy was always going to do more than change prices. It was going to change behavior.

Game theory asks a simple question: When one player changes the rewards and penalties, how will the others respond? Change the rules, and you cannot assume everyone will keep playing the same way.

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