Exploring the Impact of PBMs on High Drug Prices
The US pays the highest amount per capita on prescription drugs than any other nation. Several factors interact to drive prices up in the nation. Since a major portion of pharmaceutical development occurs in the US, drugmakers argue high prices are necessary to offset research costs and promote exclusivity. In addition, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) play a large role in setting drug prices because they negotiate formularies and drug rebates.
Bipartisan US PBM Reform Bill Moves Forward
A bipartisan bill including reforms to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) industry has been advanced by the US Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee. The bill, approved with an 18-3 vote, picked up several amendments in the mark-up session before it was advanced.
Congress Still has Pharmacy Benefit Managers on the Mind After Midterms
After a mid-term election in the US that saw the Democrats unexpectedly maintaining control of the Senate, legislative action and congressional hearings into the practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) will still be on the docket in coming months. The industry has faced increasing scrutiny in recent years for practices that some call anti-consumer and anti-competitive.
PhRMA, J&J, and TrialCard File Amicus Briefs in Support of Pfizer’s US Supreme Court Case
As Pfizer waits on a decision as to whether the US Supreme will take on the company’s case against US anti-kickback laws regarding proposed copay assistance programs, several organizations have entered the fray. PhRMA, Johnson & Johnson, and TrialCard have each filed amicus briefs to the highest court of the land to take on the case, which had been previously blocked by circuit court loss.
PBMs Face Growing Public Scrutiny
As the role of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in healthcare grows increasingly important, so does the scrutiny of the industry. [...]
FTC Begins Probe into Anticompetitive Practices of Leading PBMs
The US Federal Trade Commission has launched its investigation into the practices of the largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and [...]
Asembia Specialty Pharmacy 2022: The Future of Specialty Pharmacy
Adam J. Fein, PhD, CEO, Drug Channels Institute forecasted future trends in specialty pharmacy in a general session at Asembia’s [...]
Drug Rebate Safe Harbor Protections Removed but Loopholes Still Remain
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) has nixed the “Safe Harbor” protections for pharma rebates to PBMs, according [...]
AIS Health’s RADAR on Drug Benefits Article Highlights Possible PBM Disruptor DomaniRx
AIS Health’s RADAR on Drug Benefits released an article on DomaniRx, a cloud-based pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) platform. The emerging [...]
Specialty Generics Face Perverse Incentives In Medicare Part D
Whether specialty generics are cheaper to payers than their originator branded counterparts is partly a function of the level of [...]
RxSense Joins with Hy-Vee to Launch New PBM Vivid Clear Rx
RxSense was founded in 2015 with a singular focus on developing technology solutions that improve healthcare transparency and access to [...]
[Podcast] How PBMs Profit at Your Expense
In the latest episode of ‘The Patients Rising’ Podcast, Terry and Dr. Bob examine the latest election results and what [...]
AMCP CEO Susan Cantrell Comments On Supreme Court Case
In commenting on Rutledge v. The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, scheduled to be argued before the US Supreme Court yesterday, [...]
[Podcast] Co-pay Cards, Co-pay Accumulators, and Co-pay Maximizers
Join president and CEO of AscellaHealth LLC Dea Belazi, PharmD, MPH for a discussion of game theory as he contrasts [...]
Cutting Wasteful Drugs Can Save Employers Billions
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University along with The Pacific Business Group on Health released a guidebook that identifies 49 medications [...]
[Podcast] K&L Gates Triage: Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association
In this podcast, Leah D’Aurora Richardson and Victoria Hamscho discuss upcoming oral arguments to be heard before the Supreme Court [...]
How Can Employers Make Pricey Gene Therapies and Specialty Drugs Less Costly?
A recent survey found that several large American firms plan to employ a variety of strategies to mitigate expenses and [...]
Key Innovations Coming From The Next Generation of PBM’s
The world of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) will change dramatically over the next five years and much of the change is coming from [...]
Pharmacy benefit managers: a mechanism for containing costs or a contributor to rising drug prices?
While pharmaceutical companies are often the focus of conversations about high drug prices, more recently pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have [...]
CVS Caremark’s foray into cost-effectiveness analysis raises questions about the future of prescription medicines in America
Written By: Americans spend more on prescription drugs than anyone else in the world. In a move to address this, [...]
