Pharmaceutical Care Management Association
Drugmakers, pharmacy middlemen sued over insulin prices
The companies that make prescription drugs and the pharmacy middlemen that buy them have been quick to blame each other for inflating prices. But now they’re being accused of conspiring to increase the cost of insulin, a lifesaving medicine for many with diabetes. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge made the allegations in a lawsuit that […]
Report: Medicare drug reforms would save seniors billions
A report published Monday says that another, less-sweeping (Medicare) change would save American seniors $18 billion a year, an annual average of about $281 for each senior getting drugs through Medicare Part D.
Insurers slam critical drug-pricing research but can’t vouch for their own
A spokeswoman for a major health-insurance industry group on Wednesday questioned research cited in a story published Tuesday in the Capital Journal. In doing so, she cited a bit of purported research that she couldn’t vouch for herself. The story was about research showing that insurers working with Medicare are supposed to be lowering care […]
Congressional group takes up PBMs, strikes a partisan tone
Members of Congress last week took up an issue potentially of great importance: What to do about powerful health conglomerates who play an increasingly powerful role in the drug-supply chain. But the event also demonstrated the harsh partisanship that increasingly paralyzes Congress in the face of difficult problems. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky, called the forum […]
Are companies still inflating the cost of Medicaid drugs?
Last week, Ohio Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran revealed something with potentially far-reaching implications: When her department calculates how much to pay managed-care companies she’s not sure if it it knows the true cost of the prescription drugs for which it is shelling out billions. If the drug middlemen hired by Ohio’s Medicaid managed-care contractors are […]
Pharmacy middlemen sue to stop rebate transparency
An industry group representing powerful drug middlemen has gone to court to stop a federal rule intended to bring transparency to rebates middlemen get from manufacturers. The middlemen are arguing that the rule, initiated by the Trump administration, will increase drug costs. But the group’s critics say that secretive rebates are a primary driver of […]
Drug-pricing practice could be banned to help pay for infrastructure bill
Drug-pricing practice could be banned to help pay for infrastructure bill.
Big PBM decision undergoes its first test
The stakes appear to be pretty high. After a unanimous ruling in a related case in December, the U.S. Supreme Court has reopened a case regarding sweeping regulations of powerful middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers — and 30 state attorneys general and many others are joining the fray. Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, are […]
Chucking insurance
To a growing number of pharmacists, using insurance to pay for most generic drugs makes about as much sense as getting auto insurance to cover your oil changes. Problem is, if you try to buy generics without using your insurance card at the vast, vast majority of American pharmacies, you’re going to pay a “cash” […]
Antitrust concerns are increasing on Capitol Hill. Advocates say they should extend to drug pricing
Antitrust concerns are increasing on Capitol Hill. Advocates say they should extend to drug pricing.