The US is Australia’s biggest export market for pharmaceuticals. If the tariffs go ahead, manufacturing could suffer.

Australia is “urgently seeking” more detail on President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 200% tariffs on pharmaceutical imports to the US, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said.

Australia is facing a minimum 10 per cent tariff and is expected to keep exporting a range of goods, especially those that are hard to replace. Tariffs are likely to disrupt global supply chains and reduce confidence, leading to less spending, particularly investment.