An antitrust lawsuit has been filed against an online pharmacy and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) owned by Cigna. express script Served by several community independent pharmacies. The complaint alleges that the company partnered with rival PBMs to fix drug reimbursement rates and fees and collect a portion of the proceeds.
PBMs manage a health plan's pharmacy benefits and can negotiate prescription prices well above market prices. PBMs are often referred to as “middlemen” because they pay a fee to their customers (pharmacies, hospital systems, etc.) to obtain drugs at lower prices and influence the final cost of prescription drugs.
The lawsuit, filed in the Western District of Washington by Berger Montague and his attorneys, alleges that Express Scripts, a rival PBM company, used its market influence to impose higher reimbursement rates and fees on pharmacies. It claims to have entered into anti-competition agreements with Prime, Benecar and Magellan.
The lawsuit alleges that the company collects a portion of the revenue earned by competing PBMs.
Plaintiffs include several independent community pharmacies „representing a proposed class of pharmacies across the United States and seeking to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in unfair overcharges,“ according to the statement.
Express Scripts did not respond to requests for comment.