02/04/2026
Progress!
https://www.facebook.com/share/1AXuXJzkVN/?mibextid=wwXIfr
🚨 More big news from the federal government about PBMs! The Federal Trade Commission today announced a settlement with Cigna's Express Scripts that requires it to eliminate spread pricing, decouple rebates and fees from the list price of drugs, relocate its GPO, Ascent, from Switzerland to the U.S., and submit to FTC monitoring for 10 years. It also forces the company to adopt a cost-plus model for independent pharmacy reimbursement (three pharmacies or fewer) in commercial plans starting in 2027 or sooner.
"I hope this is only the beginning of righting the games leading to higher drug prices and harming competition," says NCPA CEO Douglas Hoey. He adds that "it’s critical that pharmacies are reimbursed at a level that covers their cost of acquiring, dispensing, and monitoring medicines and leaves them with a reasonable profit. The big insurers and their PBMs are notorious for reimbursing pharmacies at rates below their operating costs, which causes them to lose money and ultimately go out of business. We look forward to more details on this element of the agreement.”
⚪ View our full statement: https://bit.ly/4af93pQ
⚪ View the FTC's news release: https://bit.ly/4t8HC9U
