Our news-laden summer is ending. Time to pack away your bathing suit, send the kids back to school, and cherish these curated curiosities that I combed from the Drug Channels coastline: Aetna’s latest white bagging plan: Saving money or shifting costs? 340B covered entities are still not sharing discounts with needy patients PBM-affiliated private label biosimilars and their pricing double standard UnitedHealth Group’s 2,694 subsidiaries: too big to manage? P.S. Join my nearly 65,000 Link...| Drug Channels
After multiple years of mandated disclosure of negotiated hospital-insurer rates, those of us who follow the buy-and-bill channel might have expected transparency to reduce drug price variability, lower hospital markups, and accelerate adoption of lower-cost biosimilars. Alas, that’s not what the latest data reveal. DCI’s analysis of four national commercial insurers—Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare—and 26 hospitals found that: Hospitals still earn significant markups over a...| Drug Channels
Let’s cut through the steamy summer haze with a refreshing breeze of industry insights from Drug Channels—perfect for pondering while you float in your favorite pool: 340B Discounts Still Not Reaching Needy Patients Why do patients switch from biosimilars back to Humira? Copay accumulator programs strike again! The Grim Outlook for Retail Pharmacies Plus, a shout-out to three talented journalists. P.S. Want more real-time insights? Join my more than 64,000 LinkedIn followers for daily lin...| Drug Channels
The 2025 launch of biosimilars to Johnson & Johnson’s Stelara (ustekinumab) marks another turning point in pharmacy benefit dynamics. But unlike the chaotic rollout of Humira biosimilars, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) came prepared. Private label strategies, aggressive pricing, and exclusive formulary deals have transformed what might have been a slow-crawling biosimilar introduction into a full-on pricing war. As with Humira, the reality of biosimilar economics is far messier—and more...| Drug Channels
In April 2023, I received a letter from the Ontario government with information about the new biosimilar switching policy. I had until the end of the year to switch from the biologic medication I take to treat my rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to a biosimilar. I did my best to be hopeful and believe it would…| The Seated View
This week, I’m rerunning some popular posts while I prepare for Friday’s live video webinar: What’s Next for Retail Pharmacy: Data, Debate, and Disruption. I’ll be joined by special guest Antonio Ciaccia, CEO of 46brooklyn Research, and President of 3 Axis Advisors. Click here to see the original post from March 2025. --- Three’s still company in the world of pharmacy benefit managers. For 2024, nearly 80% of all equivalent prescription claims were processed by three familiar compan...| Drug Channels