Express Scripts Report Touts 4.8% Drop in YoY Spending

February 27

In its annual drug spending report, PBM giant Express Scripts said it kept total pharmacy spending in line with the consumer price index while reducing year-over-year (YoY) spending by 4.8% for its most tightly managed plans. While one consultant said there’s no way to verify such claims without a full review of Express Scripts’ methodology, he conceded that the PBM’s management techniques are probably due some credit.

The Cigna Corp. subsidiary said total member plan spending on prescription drugs rose by 2.3% last year. In addition, 37% of Express Scripts’ commercial plan clients spent less on drugs year over year in 2019. Express Scripts attributes those reductions in spending to the company’s “clinical solutions,” which it claims “saved patients and plans nearly $50 billion.”

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Radar on Drug Benefits

Peter Johnson

Peter has worked as a journalist since 2011 and has covered health care since 2020. At AIS Health, Peter covers trends in finance, business and policy that affect the health insurance and pharma sectors. For Health Plan Weekly, he covers all aspects of the U.S. health insurance sector, including employer-sponsored insurance, Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage and the Affordable Care Act individual marketplaces. In Radar on Drug Benefits, Peter covers the operations of (and conflicts between) pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers, with a particular focus on pricing dynamics and market access. Before joining AIS Health, Peter covered transportation, public safety and local government for various outlets in Seattle, his hometown and current place of residence. He graduated with a B.A. from Colby College.