PBM Integration Helps Drive Solid 2019 Earnings, Execs Say
The health care industry’s largest payers continue to make the case that they are gaining — or project to gain — substantial benefits from integrating PBM businesses. In particular, Cigna Corp. expects its ...
Cancer, Neurology Drugs Lead 2020 Pharma Pipeline
In its quarterly drug pipeline trends report, OptumRx projected that 2020 will see large numbers of drug approvals for oncology drugs and identified 11 drugs with the potential to be blockbusters in the United State...
News Briefs
✦ CMS on Feb. 5 issued a proposed rule that would allow Medicare Part D sponsors to establish a second, “preferred” specialty drug tier with lower cost-sharing than the current specialty tier — after plan sp...
2020 Outlook: Experts Predict Part D Reform, Minimal Pressure on PBMs
If Congress or the Trump administration are able to enact any type of drug-pricing reform during 2020 — a year sure to be dominated by the upcoming elections — it’s likely to be a redesign of Medicare Part D, ...
Express Scripts Coverage, FDA Label Update Boost Rybelsus With Chart: Current Market Access to GLP-1 Medications
Access to Novo Nordisk’s Rybelsus (semaglutide) — the first oral glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1) to treat adults with type 2 diabetes — got a major boost Jan. 17 when Novo said Express Scripts...
Firms Shake Up PCSK9 Market, With Sanofi Out, Novartis In
Sanofi S.A. is cutting its losses on its PCSK9 inhibitor, exiting the U.S. market for the drug completely after various tactics, including slashing prices and promoting value-based contracts to payers, failed to spa...
News Briefs
✦ The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that ultimately could upend state-based efforts to regulate PBMs. The lawsuit, which was brought by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), challenges a...
2020 Outlook: ‘Wild Year’ Is Expected for Large, Consolidated PBMs
Though the two major transactions that upended the PBM landscape — Cigna Corp. buying Express Scripts Holding Co. and CVS Health Corp. acquiring Aetna Inc. — have already taken place, that doesn’t mean the sec...
2020 Outlook: State Lawmakers Tee Up Bills on PBMs, Drug Pricing This Year
State lawmakers will continue to focus on the cost of prescription drugs as the 2020 legislative season gets underway, potentially advancing measures to require the disclosure of manufacturer drug pricing informatio...
Nearly 500 Medications See Price Hikes in New Year
After only one week into the new year, drug manufacturers have raised the list prices of almost 500 medications. On average, prices on 491 drugs have increased 5.2%, according to GoodRx, a company that tracks the co...
