Over the next week, CVS Health and Cigna will hold their annual investor days. (Links below.) They will offer business and financial overviews of their diverse companies, including an update on the outlook for their pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
It’s a tough time to be a PBM. Compensation models are shifting, due to increased scrutiny by payers, regulators, and politicians. Plan sponsors are more sophisticated and seek greater pass-through of rebates, admin fees, and other manufacturer-provided revenues. Network spreads are under pressure, while specialty pharmacy dispensing accounts for a growing share of profits. Plus, the entire drug channel system could move toward a world without rebates.
Below, I update Drug Channels Institute’s look at PBM market share and reflect on four crucial areas in which PBMs’ compensation will be evolving. No PBM discloses detailed information about the sources and composition of its profits, so consider my observations as general guidelines for evaluating the upcoming investor day commentary from management.
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