The news: The FTC’s lawsuit against the three largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in the US is being paused due to the agency not having enough available commissioners.
Catch up quick: The Biden administration’s FTC sued CVS Health’s Caremark, Cigna’s Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth’s Optum Rx last September over rigging pharma supply chain competition in their favor, resulting in artificially inflated insulin prices for some patients. The PBMs have refuted the FTC’s allegations and even countersued the agency in November, alleging the case is unconstitutional.
Key stat: The Big 3 PBMs processed about 80% of US prescription claims in 2024, per freshly updated data from Drug Channels Institute. Express Scripts (30%) now holds the largest market share of the three, overtaking Caremark.
First Published on Apr 3, 2025