New Delhi, Dec. 20 -- President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled a sweeping set of drug-pricing agreements with nine major pharmaceutical companies, presenting the initiative as a cornerstone of his effort to bring American medicine costs closer to those paid in Europe.

The announcement marked a significant expansion of the administration's pricing push, with Trump confirming that deals have now been struck with 14 of the 17 drugmakers he formally pressed in July to lower prices. Central to the strategy is the launch of a new direct-to-consumer portal, TrumpRx.gov, designed to allow patients to buy certain medicines without using insurance.

The companies named on Friday were Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech, G...