Getting Serious about High U.S. Drug Prices
The U.S. pharma industry is under attack by executive order, with the latest salvo designed to ensure the Medicare Part B program pays the same price for drugs as similarly developed nations pay. That order joins others issued this summer, all aimed at high U.S. drug prices. These orders – all variants of previous orders and […]
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Opening the Course to Price Transparency by Closing the Safe Harbor on Part D Drug Rebates
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is about to publish a proposed rule that – according to the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) – would lower prescription drug prices and out-of-pocket costs for patients and increase pricing transparency. The HHS proposal would eliminate a safe harbor for prescription drug rebates that drug […]
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Amazon Primes Pharmacy Disruption with PillPack Acquisition
Amazon’s march toward what we’ve called “Prime Health” continues with the company’s announcement that it will acquire PillPack, the online full-service pharmacy that sorts its customers’ medications by dose; packages them by date, day and time; and mails them to the consumer’s home. With this acquisition, Amazon gains another tool for making healthcare easier, faster, […]
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Cigna & Express Scripts: Yet Another Sign of a Healthcare Value Chain Shakeup
Another day, another healthcare intermediary is absorbed by a player intent on building scale to deliver value, control data and power up a patient-centered business model. Cigna’s announcement of its intent to buy Express Scripts is just the latest development in the ongoing compression of the healthcare value chain. We’ve been predicting these types of […]
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