As we watch the dust settle from the recent acquisition of Medco Health Solutions, Inc. by Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI), multiple questions will arise for current and prospective clients as well as PBM competitors. Will it create enough marketplace disruption to have a positive impact on smaller PBMs, as it did while the deal was pending? What will formularies look like once they are integrated? What will become of Walgreen Co.’s current contracts with the Medco book of business? One question... Read more

If you haven’t seen anything about the new class action lawsuits that challenge the legality of drug copay coupons, you are hopefully doing something far more exciting than the rest of us who are glued to our tablets and TV screens. But seriously, this development in the war against copay coupons is hard to ignore…kinda like pharmaceutical ads! The four union health plans that filed the lawsuits in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Newark, N.J., are part of the Prescription Access Litigation... Read more

Last week I attended a conference co-sponsored by the National Pharmaceutical Council, WellPoint, Inc. and the National Health Council on the topic of comparative-effectiveness research (CER) and how best to disseminate findings from this growing body of research. Recognizing that there are certain regulatory limitations on sharing this information, each speaker proposed a sort of ethical framework for communicating CER to patients, payers and other stakeholders. Discussing the public health... Read more

Last month Drug Benefit News ran a story on PBM and insurer tactics to combat the growing use of copay cards among members. As you may already know, these copay offset programs are loathed by PBMs for their potential to undermine tiered benefit designs and increase overall cost share. Mason Tenaglia, managing director of pharmaceutical strategy consulting firm The Amundsen Group, voiced his skepticism over the so-called dangers of copay cards in that piece and has just published a lengthy... Read more

CVS Caremark Corp. on Dec. 20 shared positive 2012 guidance and plans to roll out next-generation versions of its Maintenance Choice and Pharmacy Advisor programs during the company’s annual Analyst Day. The timing of this report could not have been better for the company, which is uniquely positioned going into 2012 as its major PBM competitors, Medco Health Solutions, Inc. and Express Scripts, Inc., await FTC guidance on their proposed combination and Walgreen Co. stands to lose millions of... Read more