The Trump Administration’s Best Healthcare Idea Isn’t the One Getting Attention
27th July 2026
One reason pharmaceuticals cost so much: The Food and Drug Administration’s approval process takes up to 12 years to bring a new drug to market. The Trump administration has launched Operation Trialblazer to shorten that timeline.
It’s one of Trump’s best healthcare proposals so far, one that reduces the government’s footprint in U.S. healthcare. It is a welcome departure from some of the Trump administration’s other prescription drug initiatives that, unfortunately, expand the role of government.
The FDA approval process is divided into three phases. Phase 1 determines if a drug can be used safely in humans and, if so, at what dosage. Completing Phase 1 takes an average of 380 days and, in some cases, can stretch?to 700 days.
Other countries are taking advantage of the FDA’s slower pace. China has reduced its Phase 1 process to 60 days while Australia’s is about 70 days. The U.S. has lost its competitive edge as a result. In 2024, the number of drug trials registered in China was over 16,600 versus 9,100 in the U.S., according to the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology—the first time China has exceeded the U.S.
Once again, government bureaucracy is the reason why we can’t have nice things.