Correction: An earlier version of this story and the headline incorrectly stated that PBMs did not play a role in a discrepancy over the price of the chemo drug Imatinib. Both the story and headline have been updated.
WASHINGTON — Congress blasted drug middlemen at a hearing Tuesday, with multiple lawmakers pointing to a huge discrepancy between how much a chemo drug costs at CVS and its price from Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs.
The chemo drug in question, Imatinib, costs a Tennessee state-employee plan $17,000 at CVS for a 60-day supply and just $72 at Cost Plus Drugs, though the state can’t buy from Cost Plus Drugs because it is out of the CVS Caremark network. Exactly what is driving that $17,000 price — like what specific pharmacy benefit manager tactics are at play — wasn’t explained at the hearing.
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