Time for my annual review of the Fortune 500 list. Every year, this is one of my most popular posts, because it helps us “follow the dollar” and understand how drug channel intermediaries make money.
The 2017 list contains the same seven drug channel companies that the 2016 list did: AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, CVS Health, Express Scripts, McKesson, Rite Aid, and Walgreens Boots Alliance.
Using the Fortune data, I explore the profitability and shareholder returns of the largest public drug wholesalers, chain pharmacies, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). I compare these companies with the Fortune 500’s ten pharmaceutical manufacturers and a separate survey of independent pharmacies.
The Fortune data remind us that many multi-billion dollar businesses profit as drugs move through the U.S. reimbursement and distribution system. We must recognize this complex system in order to tackle the price and affordability of drugs.
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