CVS Reports Lowest Drug Trend in Years

CVS Health Corp.’s 2019 drug trend report shows a 1.4% overall trend, the lowest in five years, and said 41% of its commercial clients saw negative trend. Specialty drugs accounted for almost half of all spending and remained the fastest growing spending category in the pharmacy benefit. Autoimmune treatments, including some of the highest volume medications — Humira, Enbrel, Rituxan and Remicade — comprised a third of specialty pharmacy spending. CVS’s Advanced Control Specialty Formulary (ACSF) helped its clients reach -9.4% price growth in the category. As 20 biosimilars are expected to come to the specialty marketplace by 2023, payers may see significant savings, according to CVS.

© 2023 MMIT
Jinghong Chen

Jinghong Chen Reporter

Jinghong produces infographics and data stories on health insurance and specialty pharmacy for AIS Health. She graduated from Missouri School of Journalism with a focus on data journalism and international reporting. Before joining AIS in 2018, she worked at WBEZ, Al Jazeera English and The New York Times Chinese.

Related Posts

doctor-speaking-to-a-patient
May 25

Commercial Insurance Restrictions Complicate Biosimilar Adoption

READ MORE
shell-game
May 25

‘Shell Game’ or Rebate Maximizers? FTC Probe Reignites Debate Over GPOs

Read More
pills-in-hand
May 25

As Weight Loss Drugs’ Star Rises, Plan Sponsors, Researchers Worry About Costs

READ MORE

GAIN THERAPEUTIC AREA-SPECIFIC INTEL TO DRIVE ACCESS FOR YOUR BRAND

Sign up for publications to get unmatched business intelligence delivered to your inbox.

subscribe today