FTC to Probe Pharmacy Benefit Managers’ Role in Drug Costs (2)

The US Federal Trade Commission will probe pharmacy benefit managers including units of CVS Health Corp., Cigna Corp. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. that oversee prescription drug plans, the agency said in a news release Tuesday.

The move signals more aggressive scrutiny for the drug market, widely considered one of health-care’s most opaque sectors, under the regulatory body’s new Democratic majority. A third Democratic commissioner was confirmed for the five-person panel last month.

“Although many people have never heard of pharmacy benefit managers, these powerful middlemen have enormous influence over the US prescription drug system,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said ...