Drugmakers and middlemen fight over who's to blame for high US prices

A leading trade group for pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) has issued a highly critical response to a recent report from the pharmaceutical industry blaming PBMs for high drug prices in the USA.

Noting the complexity of the pharmaceuticals supply chain and the various negotiations involved in setting prices, the pharma industry report found that “in many cases, this system creates incentives for PBMs to prefer medicines with higher list prices and higher rebates.”

The report - produced by leading pharma lobbyists the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) - also notes that “some industry observers and government agencies have questioned whether insurers and PBMs are more focused on the size of rebates than on achieving the lowest possible costs and best outcomes for patients.”