US Federal Trade Commission Sues CVS Health, Cigna, UnitedHealth's Pharmacy Benefit Managers For Inflating Insulin Prices
US Federal Trade Commission Sues CVS Health, Cigna, UnitedHealth's Pharmacy Benefit Managers For Inflating Insulin Prices
The FTC claims that the PBMs abused their market power to inflate insulin prices by promoting a rebate system with drug manufacturers.On Friday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a formal complaint against three major pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)—CVS Health Inc's (NYSE:CVS) Caremark, Cigna Corp's (NYSE:CI) Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Group Inc's (NYSE:UNH) Optum—for allegedly engaging in unfair and anti-competitive practices that have inflated the list price of insulin medications.
上週五，聯邦貿易委員會（FTC）對三家主要藥品利益管理人（PBM）——CVS Health Inc的Caremark、Cigna Corp的Express Scripts和UnitedHealth Group Inc的Optum提起了正式投訴，指控他們涉嫌進行不公平和反競爭的行爲，導致胰島素藥物的標價虛高。
The complaint accuses the PBMs of creating a system that benefits them financially by prioritizing drug rebates, forcing patients to pay higher costs for life-saving insulin. These PBMs, referred to as the Big Three, administer around 80% of prescriptions in the U.S.
投訴指責這些PBM創建了一個使他們從經濟上受益的系統，通過優先考慮藥物回扣，迫使患者支付更高的救命胰島素成本。這些PBM被稱爲「大三」，在美國約佔處方藥的80％。
Also Read: Federal Trade Commission Targets 'Junk Patent Listings' For Diabetes, Weight Loss, Asthma Drugs From Companies Like Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca.
另請參閱：聯邦貿易委員會針對Novo Nordisk、AstraZeneca等公司的糖尿病、減肥和哮喘藥物的"垃圾專利清單"。
The FTC claims that the PBMs abused their market power to inflate insulin prices by promoting a rebate system with drug manufacturers.
FTC聲稱這些PBM利用其市場優勢來推高胰島素價格，通過促進與藥品製造商的回扣制度。
This system led to the exclusion of lower-priced insulin from formularies, further driving up the cost for vulnerable patients.
這一制度導致了低價胰島素被排除在處方表之外，進一步推高了易受傷害患者的費用。
The result is higher out-of-pocket expenses for those needing essential diabetes medication.
其結果是需要基本糖尿病藥物的患者的個人支付費用增加。
For example, the list price of Eli Lilly And Co's (NYSE:LLY) Humalog rose dramatically from $21 in 1999 to over $274 in 2017.
例如，Eli Lilly And Co的Humalog的標價從1999年的21美元猛增到2017年的超過274美元。
Despite the availability of lower-priced alternatives, PBMs favored higher-priced drugs due to the lucrative rebates they provided.
儘管有更低價格的替代品可用，但由於提供的高額回扣，PBM更青睞高價藥物。
The FTC is also examining the role of drug manufacturers, including Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO), and Sanofi SA (NASDAQ:SNY), in driving up insulin prices, signaling potential further action against these companies.
FTC還在調查包括Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk A/S (紐交所NVO)和Sanofi SA (納斯達克SNY)在內的藥品製造商在推高胰島素價格方面的作用，暗示可能會進一步採取對這些公司的行動。
The rebate-driven system excluded lower-priced insulins and allowed the Big Three PBMs to keep significant revenue in the form of rebates and fees, a strategy that hurt patients while benefiting the PBMs financially.
基於回扣的系統排除了較低價格的胰島素，使得三大藥品管理機構能夠以回扣和費用的形式獲得顯著的營業收入，這種策略損害了患者利益，同時也使藥品管理機構受益。
Vulnerable patients, such as those with high deductibles or coinsurance, bore the brunt of these inflated costs, paying more for their insulin than the overall net cost to insurers.
高扣除額或共同承擔費用的脆弱患者承受了這些高漲成本的衝擊，爲他們的胰島素支付的費用比保險公司的淨費用還要高。
Price Action: At last check Friday, CVS stock was down 1.61% at $57.49, UNH stock was down 0.29% at $575.39, and CI stock was up 0.07% at $357.52.
股票價格變動: 最後查看，CVS股票下跌1.61%至57.49美元，UNH股票下跌0.29%至575.39美元，CI股票上漲0.07%至357.52美元。
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Photo by towfiqu barbhuiya via unsplash
照片由towfiqu barbhuiya通過unsplash拍攝
譯文內容由第三人軟體翻譯。