News
from the fight to #SaveIndiePharmacy
New York Times’ The Middlemen series
Congress targets PBMs to curb drug prices, end spread pricing practices
The House is renewing a push to take on pharmacy benefit managers that play an important role in the cost of prescription drugs that has been heavily scrutinized by lawmakers amid industry consolidation and rising prices.
UnitedHealth Group Is Being Investigated by the Department of Justice
UnitedHealth Group, the largest U.S. health insurer, is once again under federal scrutiny—this time for potentially fraudulent Medicare billing practices.
FTC case against Caremark, Express Scripts, Optum Rx can move forward, judge rules
A Missouri district court judge on Tuesday said stopping the FTC’s suit against the Big Three PBMs would be “against the public’s interest.”
PBM Prime Therapeutics to Pay $10 Million Antitrust Case Over Price-Fixing Scheme with Express Scripts, Inc.
In a recent antitrust arbitration ruling, Prime Therapeutics, a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) owned by 19 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans, was found guilty of engaging in horizontal price-fixing in collaboration with Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI), a competitor owned by Cigna.
Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter Delivers Remarks on the Platformization of Health care
“In 2010, the big insurers promoted the narrative that single payer was a threat to Americans. Nearly 15 years later, we may well be accelerating the march to single payer, just not the kind anyone imagined in 2010, or wants today.
The moment for this discussion is now and the timing is urgent.” —AAG Jonathan Kanter
Comer: Pharmacy Benefit Managers Must be Held Accountable for Role in Rising Drug Prices
Today, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) delivered opening remarks at a full committee hearing titled “The Role of Pharmacy Benefit Managers in Prescription Drug Markets Part III: Transparency and Accountability.” In his opening statement, Chairman Comer detailed how the House Oversight Committee has obtained over 140,000 pages of documents and communications exposing Pharmacy Benefit Managers’ (PBMs) anticompetitive policies and their role in rising drug prices.
Drugmakers including Purdue Pharma paid pharmacy benefit managers not to restrict painkiller prescriptions, a New York Times investigation found.