Last week, I documented how the biggest independent and PBM-owned specialty pharmacies participate as contract pharmacies within the 340B program. These specialty pharmacies are owned by CVS Health, Cigna (Express Scripts), OptumRx (UnitedHealth Group), Walgreens Boots Alliance/Prime Therapeutics, and Diplomat Pharmacy.
Today, let’s follow the prescription dollar to expose how specialty pharmacies and covered entities profit from 340B prescriptions. We rely on confidential disclosures made to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
You’ll see the indisputable prescription math that permits large specialty pharmacies to share in the 340B discounts that covered entities earn. These pharmacies’ profits can be $1,000 per prescription—far exceeding their typical profits from dispensing a third-party-paid prescription.
No wonder PBMs and specialty pharmacies are racing to become 340B contract pharmacies!
For years, hospitals and their lobbyists have been claiming that discounts from the 340B program support care for low-income and uninsured patients. What they don’t say: These discounts are also supporting some of the largest public companies in the U.S.
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