Costs are continually going up and renewal rates are posed to be even higher. So, why is this year a possible pressure cooker? Let’s open the lid, break down some of the ingredients and dig into what employers will be facing this renewal season. The post Inside the Pressure Cooker: Cost Trends and Strategies for Renewal Season appeared first on OneDigital.| OneDigital
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
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
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 April 2025. --- Drug Channels Institute’s (DCI’s) latest analysis reveals that PBM-affiliated specialty pharmacies continue to dominate the dispensing of specialty drugs. DCI ha...| Drug Channels
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
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. --- Next week, Drug Channels Institute (DCI) will release our 2025 Economic Report on U.S. Pharmacies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers. It’s the 16th edition of our popul...| Drug Channels
The 340B Drug Pricing Program has emerged as a growing source of profits for pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Drug Channels Institute’s latest exclusive analysis of the 2025 market reveals a highly concentrated market structure increasingly dominated by a handful of major players: About 32,000 pharmacy locations—nearly 60% of the entire U.S. pharmacy industry—function as contract pharmacies for the hospitals and federal grantees that participate in the 340B program. The ...| Drug Channels