UnitedHealth Group subsidiaries and the Federal Trade Commission have reached a tentative agreement as of June 12 that would resolve allegations the companies had “created a broken rebate system that inflated insulin drug prices,” the FTC said in 2024.
Pharmacy benefit manager Optum Rx and its group purchasing organization, Emisar Pharma Services, were one of three branches of defendants in the lawsuit. Cigna’s Express Scripts was withdrawn earlier this year, and the FTC confirmed a provisional agreement with CVS Caremark in March.
An FTC news release said changes to Express Scripts would lower out-of-pocket drug costs by $7 billion in 10 years. Details for the Optum Rx settlement have not been made public.
The FTC sued the PBMs and their group purchasing organizations in September 2024 over allegedly chasing rebates and pinning inflated insulin costs onto patients. The lawsuit came amid an extensive investigation into PBM practices.
Becker’s contacted Optum and the FTC for comment, and will update this story if more information becomes available.
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