Express Scripts was the first to cap
out-of-pocket costs for insulin medications at $25 for a 30-day supply in 2019, well before the
government took action
ST.
LOUIS, Sept. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Express
Scripts by Evernorth, a subsidiary of The Cigna Group (NYSE:
CI), today issued the following statement in response to the
Federal Trade Commission's reckless insulin action:
Attributable to Andrea Nelson,
Chief Legal Officer, The Cigna Group:
"This action continues a troubling pattern from the FTC of
unsubstantiated and ideologically-driven attacks on pharmacy
benefit managers, following the FTC's biased and misleading
July 2024 report, which Express
Scripts demanded the Commission retract earlier this week. Once
again, the FTC – a government agency funded by taxpayer dollars –
is proving that the FTC does not understand drug pricing and
instead is choosing to ignore the facts and score political points,
rather than focus on its duty to protect consumers.
"The fact is that in the unlikely event the FTC succeeds in its
suit and forces PBMs to include drugs on formulary even if they
have higher net costs for plan sponsors – and regardless of whether
they are clinically necessary – the FTC will drive drug prices
higher in this country. This will hurt consumers and those who
provide their prescription drug benefits – including employers,
labor unions, and the federal government itself.
"Express Scripts intends to vigorously defend itself to protect
our ability to lower drug costs for the thousands of clients and
the millions of Americans we serve. In a world where pharmaceutical
manufacturers continue to raise the price of medications every
year, Express Scripts' work is more important than ever, and we
won't allow baseless suits and false information to deter us from
our mission."
Facts about Express Scripts and insulin can be found here.
Additional information about Express Scripts' lawsuit filed against
the FTC on September 17 to demand the
retraction of its flawed and unsubstantiated report on pharmacy
benefit managers can be found here.
About Evernorth Health Services
Evernorth Health
Services creates pharmacy, care and benefits solutions to improve
health and increase vitality. We relentlessly innovate to make the
prediction, prevention and treatment of illness and disease more
accessible to millions of people. Evernorth capabilities are
powered by our businesses, including Express Scripts, Express
Scripts® Pharmacy, Accredo, eviCore and MDLIVE, along with holistic
Evernorth platforms and solutions that move people and
organizations forward. All Evernorth solutions are serviced and
provided by or through operating affiliates of Evernorth Health, a
wholly owned subsidiary of The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI), or
third-party partners. Learn more at evernorth.com.
Media Contact
Justine
Sessions
860-810-6523
justine.sessions@evernorth.com
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SOURCE Express Scripts