In a bid to defuse sharp criticism of prescription drug pricing, the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit manager, Express Scripts, and several pharmaceutical companies are teaming up to offer discounts on more than three dozen brand medicines.
The program, called InsideRx, is geared primarily to patients who lack insurance or who have high-deductible health plans, and offers average discounts of 34 percent on medicines for treating diabetes, high cholesterol, acid reflux, and respiratory problems such as asthma.
“The system is complicated. This initiative is one way that people with high deductibles and pay cash can get what is similar to what people with insurance coverage can get,” Eli Lilly chief executive officer David Ricks told CBS News, where the program was announced on Monday morning.
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I have to see it to believe it. Lowering prices many can talk about but walking the talk is a challenge and it is hard. Another question is can they be sustained?