A massive pharmaceutical middleman is taking aim at the price of a new group of migraine drugs
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- Pharmaceutical middleman Express Scripts is going on the offensive over the price of a new class of migraine medications.
- Express Scripts, a pharmacy benefit manager, told Reuters it is pressing drugmaker Amgen to forego the strategy of setting a high list price and lowering the cost for health plans through rebates. It also wants a refund if the drugs don't work over a set period of time.
- The shift could help Express Scripts and other PBMs bring prices down, and deflect growing criticism of their role as "middlemen" in the drug supply chain.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The largest U.S. manager of prescription benefits is telling drugmakers that the current pricing model is broken, and taking aim at Amgen Inc and other makers of new migraine medicines to try and fix it.
Express Scripts told Reuters it is pressing them to forego the usual strategy of setting a high U.S. list price, then lowering the cost for health plans through hefty rebates. It is also seeking a refund if the drugs don't work within a defined timeframe. The shift could help Express Scripts and other pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) bring prices down, and deflect growing criticism of their role as "middlemen" in the drug supply chain.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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