Amid national angst over prescription drug pricing, Express Scripts (ESRX), the big pharmacy benefit manager, is touting a new scheme it says will lessen the behind-the-scenes role that rebates play in rising costs.
The idea targets the complicated calculus used by drug makers and pharmacy benefit managers for negotiating formularies, the all-important lists of medicines for preferred insurance coverage. By doing so, Express Scripts argued costs should decline for some consumers, while appeasing critics — including Trump administration officials — who have urged these companies to eliminate their reliance on rebates.
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